From any angle, law enforcement supporter or activist, there’s little question it has been a difficult and establishment-shifting couple of years for police officers around the country. The criticism has been fair in some cases and unfair in others, but the overall movement to change policing and prevent malpractice has altered the way some view law enforcement.

From the incidents in Ferguson, Missouri, to Baltimore, Maryland, to New York City, citizens are now on watch, as police can no longer rely on having the benefit of the doubt. Beaufort County law enforcement has not been in the national spotlight but it’s taking a proactive first step in making sure both officers and residents are protected with the objectivity provided by technology.

Last week, Belhaven Police Department Chief F.P. Clingenpeel demonstrated the county’s first ever officer body camera, which will be applied to all Belhaven officers once they know how to properly use them. The cameras sync with a smartphone app on the user’s cellphone and video feed can be accessed instantaneously.

There will be a total of 18 cameras, which will cost the town $26,700 over the course of a five-year contract.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office isn’t far behind: it was budgeted for 20 cameras in this year’s county budget and by the end of December the entire patrol division will be outfitted with cameras.

The initiative is an advanced step in not only exposing any misconduct, guarding against the abuse of power and protecting the rights of citizens, but also in shielding the officers themselves from unfair criticism. In some cases around the country, officers have used excessive force, causing witnesses’ cellphone footage to go viral and later be used as evidence. But in many other cases, officers have been falsely accused, though those stories hardly ever garner the national spotlight.

In an era when law enforcement missteps often take precedence over good deeds, body cameras offer insurance to those officers who deserve it. Other municipalities in Beaufort County should consider adopting these cameras to protect the innocent on both sides — citizen and law enforcement officer.