Donation enables body camera purchase for Holton police

Holton Police Chief Gale Gakle recently welcomed a donation from a retired Jackson County Correc­tions officer from Holton for the purchase of three “body cameras” to be worn by on-duty police offi­cers.

“It’s an item that will be very beneficial to us. It will bring out the truth, whatever that truth is,” Gakle said of the three Watch Guard Vista body cameras, which will go into service immediately.

The “truth” in question — re­garding the activities and account­ability of on-duty officers — has been a national focus following shooting incidents involving police in recent years. As a result, law enforcement officers have found themselves in agreement with civil rights advocates who argue that having police officers wear body cameras will ensure that the “truth” about certain incidents involving police will be told.

As for Holton resident Wayne Altenburg, whose donation made the purchase of the three Vista body cameras possible, it’s impor­tant to “make the stories consis­tent” in such incidents.

Altenburg, who worked for Jackson County Corrections for more than 10 years before retiring, expressed a wish that the cameras had been available to him when he was working at the county jail.

“There’s always two sides to a story, and these cameras make it all one story,” Altenburg said. “I felt it was an important thing for the po­lice department. And I hope that the sheriff’s office and the correc­tions department de­cided to get body cameras to help protect their officers.”

Each camera allows for high-definition recording of police pro­cedures that cameras mounted in­side police vehi­cles cannot access, Gakle said.

“If an officer has to go into a house on a domestic call, we can get video of what’s going on,” he said. “And when you’re approach­ing a car, all you’re seeing from the car camera is the back of the car and the back of the head and the officer standing outside the car. This allows you to see inside the vehicle during a traffic stop.”

Gakle also noted that the soft­ware that runs the Vista cameras is compatible with the software that runs the video cameras mounted in­side the police cars, also made by Watch Guard. Those cameras, it was reported, were purchased in May of this year following a vote of the Holton City Commission to allow the purchase.

The purchase of the Vista body cameras also marked the second time this year that video cameras were purchased for the police de­partment through a private personal donation.

Nearly half of the purchase of the car cameras in May, at a cost of $35,140 from Watch Guard, was covered by a $17,421.28 donation from the estate of the late Mildred Tangeman, it was reported. Tangeman was a Holton resi­dent who died in 2013 and left double the amount used in the pur­chase of the video cameras to the city in her will, with the remainder of her do­nation to be used by the city’s fire department.

Although the amount of Alten­burg’s donation for the purchase of the cameras was not clarified, it has been re­ported that the retail price of a Vista body camera is about $900.