Dedham Police begin wearing body cameras

The Dedham Police Department announced that a body-worn camera program for all full-time sworn officers took effect Oct. 26.

The program was negotiated by the town with the Dedham Police Association and the Dedham Police Patrol Officers Association during fiscal year 2022. Those associations represent all full-time Dedham lieutenants, sergeants and patrol officers.

The department applied for grant funding through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Office of Grants and Research in November 2025 and was notified in March 2026 that it had been awarded $181,978 through the Body-Worn Camera Grant Program.

After the grant was awarded, the department worked with the Town Manager's Office and the police associations to develop and adopt a policy on body-worn cameras. After reviewing products from multiple vendors, the department selected the Motorola V700 camera, and all officers have been trained on how to use it.

Under the department's policy, officers will wear the cameras visibly on their clothing while on duty. The cameras will not always be activated; officers are to turn them on when delivering police services, such as during a motor vehicle stop, and should notify the public they are being recorded when safety allows. Officers will have discretion to turn off the cameras in sensitive areas and situations.

The department said the program is designed to enhance policing transparency and accountability, increase public trust and police-community relations, and preserve factual representations of officer-civilian interactions. It noted that camera recordings offer a limited perspective and must be weighed alongside other evidence, such as witness statements, officer interviews and forensic analysis.

The department called the program "a significant advancement to support the delivery of professional police services in Dedham."

Source: Town of Dedham announcement, October 27, 2026.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the original announcement.