The New Bern police department budgeted $190,000 worth of new body cams for officers and signed the contract earlier in July, but the body cams have not gone underway just yet.
According to Lt. Donald McInnis of NBPD, there will be 90 body cams used from that $190,000 budget and that s just for this year s payment. The equipment has not been received as of now by McInnis or the police department, but the budget was accumulated over the course of five years before the contract was signed in July. The goal is to have them distributed to the patrol officers and officers who are mainly going to be interacting with citizens, McInnis said. Some of those cameras will also be distributed to our various specialized units as well.
New Bern police will soon have a new man at the helm.
The city of New Bern has announced that it has hired Deputy Chief Patrick Gallagher as chief of police, effective March 22. The current chief, Toussaint Summers, who announced his retirement last year, will officially leave his post on March 19.
“I’m honored to serve the city and build upon the positive progress made between the community and the police department, said Gallagher, in a news release. I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead a nationally accredited department full of talented professionals who are committed to public service, safety, and excellence.”
Here in Eastern North Carolina the small, yet fruitful progress made in reopening local economies has begun to move in the wrong direction.
Starting Friday, Governor Roy Cooper has issued a modified stay-at-home order with a curfew that requires people to stay home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. running through Jan. 8.
Now, some of the same questions that arose during the first stay-at-home order are coming to light. After experiencing Black Friday shopping, most businesses were witnessed enforcing shoppers wearing masks. But mainly, how will local law enforcement interpret Cooper s mandate.
New Bern
During the initial stages of Phase 1 reopening throughout the state, mask mandate was the common phrase discussed between business owners, consumers, and law enforcement.