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More agencies testing AXON cameras

“There’s no doubt in my mind that this is the wave of the future in policing,” Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher says.

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San Jose Police Department officers including Jessie Aragon, foreground, wear a video/audio recording device during a press conference at SJPD headquarters.

AP Photo

By Jeff Martin
USA TODAY

When Fort Smith, Ark., police officer Brandon Davis opened the door to a home during a domestic assault call Nov. 11, he faced a man aiming a handgun directly at him.

“Put the gun down! Put the gun down!,” Davis screamed before fatally shooting Eric Wayne Berry, whose wife, Connie, had called police and said her husband was threatening to kill her, prosecutor Daniel Shue stated in his report.

What happened in the confrontation was captured on video in a way some law enforcement officials say could dramatically change police work.

A tiny camera worn near Davis’ ear showed clearly that the officer had acted properly, Fort Smith Police Chief Kevin Lindsey says.

The camera system, sold by Scottsdale, Ariz.-based TASER International, is being tested this month by officers in Fort Smith, Cincinnati, San Jose and Aberdeen, S.D.

Read full story: Tiny cameras seen as future in police work