Officer's body cam explodes, leading New York City police to suspend use of model

The New York City Police Department said it will suspend use of a model of body-worn cameras after one of the devices started to smoke, then exploded.

On Saturday, an officer retrieved a body cam to use while on duty, immediately taking it off after spotting smoke coming out of the bottom portal, the department said.

After they safely removed the body cam, it exploded. No one was injured.

The impacted models were Vievu model LE-5 body-worn cameras, the department said in a statement.

"Out of an abundance of caution, the Police Commissioner has directed that the continued use and distribution of the LE-5 model cameras be suspended effective immediately," the statement read.

About 3,000 cameras out of the 15,000 deployed through the department were affected. Officers with other models of body cameras will still wear them, said the NYPD.

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our officers, and equipping the NYPD with the best equipment is a paramount priority," read the statement.

Axon, the company that makes the Vievu LE-5 body cams, said in a statement they are working closely with the NYPD to investigate the issue.

"We will do whatever is necessary to quickly and safely resolve this situation," read Axon's statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.