Police testing handgun-mounted cameras

A North Carolina police department is testing out new cameras mounted on handguns that would record officer-involved shootings.

Fox 40 reported on Thursday that the Kill Devil Hills Police Department has been assisting manufacturers by testing out the devices over the past two months.

The camera is mounted under the barrel of the gun alongside a flashlight. It is activated if the officer removes their gun from the holster.

{mosads}Detective David Pierce told the news station that the view of body-mounted cameras can often be obstructed, but the gun camera offers direct point-of-view.

“When an officer pulls his gun, that’s a type of use of force that allows us to show that our officers are justified in the type of force that they’re using,” Pierce said.

Once the officer replaces the gun to the holster, the camera shuts off, Pierce said.

Camera-equipped handguns can cost between $500 and $700, Fox 40 reports.

“It would be pricey,” Pierce said.