800+ Florida FWC officers now wear body cameras

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Division of Law Enforcement finished rolling out its body camera program last week.

Nearly all its 853 sworn members now have the devices, according to an agency spokesperson.

Last month, one FWC officer’s body camera captured video of a Florida panther trapped on the side of a highway.

TRENDING:

The panther had walked away from a South Florida wildlife refuge.

In the future, those body cameras are likely to show the public more than just cranky panthers.

FWC officers can make arrests, execute search warrants, carry guns and seize wildlife.

They join five local law enforcement agencies in Northeast Florida with body camera programs.

Action News Jax looked through the Florida Deptartment of Law Enforcement’s most recent data on body cameras, which is from September 2018.

Here’s a list of which local agencies have them and which don’t, according to that data:

Police Departments:

Atlantic Beach Police: No

Fernandina Beach Police: Yes

Green Cove Springs Police: No

Jacksonville Beach Police: No

Lake City Police: Yes

Lawtey Police: No

Neptune Beach Police: No

Orange Park Police: No

Palatka Police: Yes

St. Augustine Police: No

St. Augustine Beach Police: No

Sheriff’s Offices:

Baker County Sheriff’s Office: No

Bradford County Sheriff’s Office: Yes

Clay County Sheriff’s Office: No

Columbia County Sheriff’s Office: No

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office: Yes

Nassau County Sheriff’s Office: No

Putnam County Sheriff’s Office: No

St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office: No

Union County Sheriff’s Office: No

Cox Media Group

Most Read