NATCHEZ — In approximately three weeks, Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies will have an extra pair of eyes on them, literally.

Sheriff Travis Patten said new body cameras would be an important component to help protect both deputies and residents of the county.

“I’m not saying anyone is dishonest, but cameras don’t lie, while we may as people,” Patten said. “The cameras will help increase integrity, not only in our office, but in the community. We don’t want people saying things that are not true about our officers.”

ACSO spokeswoman Sgt. Cal Green said the sheriff’s office has ordered 28 cameras with the help of a donation by Kevin Preston of Magnolia Bluffs Casino. Preston donated $14,000 for the cameras, and the sheriff’s office picked up the remaining $852 out of its own budget, Green said.

The purchase also includes software that downloads and secures the data so it cannot be tampered with or deleted, Green said. Four docking stations are included, as well.

Green said cameras in law enforcement aid in improving safety for all parties.

“We want to keep Adams County from being in a position where the officer said one thing and the citizen said something else,” she said. “We would like to be able to see what happens in any given situation.”

All patrol deputies will wear the cameras, as will investigators and special operations officers.

“The sheriff has promised transparency in the office,” Green said. “You will know we are not hiding anything.”

Green said deputies would be required to have the cameras activated when interacting with citizens. Green said if something bad happens and a deputy is discovered to not have a camera on, it would be grounds for dismissal.

Law enforcement officers around the country are increasingly wearing body cameras to increase accountability in light of several high-profile cases of police shootings.

In some cases, video has surfaced from observers showcasing an officer or officers shooting people without weapons. In other cases video footage has supported the need for officers to use deadly force.