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According to the police, the New York police has removed all the body cameras of the new model worn by nearly 3,000 police officers after the explosion of one of the devices on Saturday night due to a battery defective.
The officer had arrived at the 121st constituency of Staten Island at 11:30 am for his shift from midnight to 8 am when his body started smoking and then caught fire, a police source said Sunday.
"He dropped his shirt and caught fire," said the source. "There is actually a video on fire."
Smoke started flowing to the bottom of the device – a Vievu LE-5 model, the NYPD said in a statement Sunday.
"The incident revealed that the battery inside the camera could ignite," the NYPD said. "The cause and extent of the defect are currently the subject of an investigation."
The officer was not injured.
"It's a technical problem," said the source.
Police in the 121st constituency dismissed the heartbreaking incident.
"We are so scared," cracked one of them as they headed inland.
The NYPD urged the 2,990 LE-5 officers to stop using them and warned not to put them in their lockers, police sources said.
Cameras should instead be placed on a docking station located in the station premises.
"As a precaution, the police commissioner has ordered the immediate suspension of the use and distribution of LE-5 camera models," the NYPD said.
The agents will go without wearing a body camera in the meantime.
"We are working closely with the NYPD to investigate this problem," said Sydney Siegmeth, spokesperson for Axon, owner of Vievu. "The agent was not injured, however, the safety of the agent is of paramount importance to Axon. We will do everything necessary to resolve this situation quickly and safely. "
The specific model LE-5 is used by 15 constituencies, two transit districts, a social housing command and the police academy, sources said the department.
They are among the 15,500 total body cameras currently used by the New York Police, which launched its program in April 2017.
Initially, approximately 1,300 officers were on night duty in 20 districts of the city equipped with recorders.
The whole force should be equipped with it by the end of 2018.
Other reports by Ben Feuerherd and Allie Griffin
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