Oakland Police Department will continue to use suspect body cams for now

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The explosion of a body-worn camera on the East Coast has at least one Bay Area police agency taking a second look at their use of the Axon Vievu LE5, the same make and model that caught fire in New York over the weekend.

"We do have the model, the LE5," said Oakland Police Department spokesperson Johnna Watson. "Right now our number one priority is ensuring our officers are safe. If we have technology that can harm them, we certainly want to make those changes."

The Oakland Police Department has several hundred LE5's in use and while the department isn't pulling them out of circulation immediately, the cameras are being used with caution.

In recent years, Oakland police have released body camera footage in select cases, especially when police interactions with suspects have resulted in fatalities.

While New York has recalled nearly 3,000 of the LE5's Oakland will continue to use them until the department learns more about why the one in Staten Island exploded.

ABC7 News has reached out to Axon Vievu for comment. You can read their full statement below.

Axon Statement:

NYPD is contracting with an independent third party forensic consultant to conduct an investigation on the reported camera issue and will share the findings with Axon. We are committed to the success of the NYPD's body-worn camera program and will work closely with them over the following months to ensure this is resolved quickly and safely.

We are working closely with all VIEVU customers who have deployed an LE5 camera and will continue to offer assistance to ensure operating procedures are being followed.

Axon is conducting a thorough analysis of VIEVU's manufacturing supply chain process to ensure that we are providing the highest quality products and services to any agency that has purchased a VIEVU camera.