Cincinnati, Ohio (CNN) -- As she began a foot pursuit of a suspect down a dark alley and around a forbidding street corner, Cincinnati police officer Mandy Curfiss radioed to headquarters that she was heading toward a local gas station.
"Fourteen-26, still running towards Shell," Curfiss said as the suspect ignored her commands to stop.
Seconds later, the man wheeled around, grabbed Curfiss and, after a brief struggle, ripped her Taser from her hands and charged toward her. Then he charged the officer who arrived to back up Curfiss. The second officer wrestled the suspect to the ground and cuffed him, with no injuries to anyone.
The suspect was charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer. If he had chosen to fight the charge in court, he would have had to contend with a piece of evidence only recently available: a videotape of the entire incident.
The confrontation on February 24 was recorded with a small camera Curfiss was wearing on her head. It's called the AXON, manufactured by Taser International, the same company that makes the widely used stun guns.
Curfiss is one of 10 Cincinnati police officers who have patrolled the streets with the AXON camera mounted behind an ear. Five police departments across the United States are testing the AXON and one department -- in Aberdeen, South Dakota -- has purchased a set.
It's a crucial tool for gathering evidence, said officers who've used the device. They like that it is capable of moving with them where mobile video recorders, so-called "dash cameras" in squad cars, can't go. They say the camera often pre-empts "he said-she said" disputes in court.
Since the Cincinnati Police began testing them in January, the cameras have recorded several confrontations. In another incident in February, an officer ordered a suspect to lie face down after a traffic stop. Despite repeated commands to show his hands, the suspect didn't respond and appeared to reach toward his pockets. Officers quickly handcuffed him and discovered he had two pistols...
