LAPD to be First in Nation with Force-Wide Body Cameras
The mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, announced plans to begin outfitting the Los Angeles Police Department with body cameras in an effort to rebuild trust between the police and the local community, which has been strained by incidents in Ferguson, MO and Staten Island, NY.
A statement from the mayor's office said that the LAPD will initially be equipped with 800 cameras. Money for outfitting the entire police force will be set aside in the mayor's next budget.
"Out on the street, things aren't always clear cut. These cameras will help law enforcement and the public alike find the truth -- and truth is essential to the trust between the LAPD and the community, which has been a key factor in lowering crime to record lows," Mayor Garcetti said. "I want to make sure LAPD is on the cutting edge when it comes to crime suppression and constitutional policing."
The release from the mayor's office directly alluded to the situation in Ferguson, where community outrage that Darren Wilson was not indicted for shooting an unarmed Michael Brown resulted in days of riots and looting.
Upon completion of the outfitting program, Los Angeles will be the largest and most important American city to have fully equipped its law enforcement officers with body cameras.
President Barack Obama recently made millions of dollars available to local police departments that wish to use body cameras. The Obama program will provide matching funds to departments which purchase the cameras.
Money for the first 800 cameras will come from $1.5 million in private donations to the police.
The first 800 cameras will be deployed to areas where they will be the most vital in determining what really happened between police and suspects: high crime areas. The cameras will be assigned to officers that specialize in certain areas such as bikes and gangs. They will also be used in the Newton and Mission areas of the city.
