Hundreds Of LAPD Body Cameras Ready For Patrol This Summer
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Hundreds of body cameras have been delivered to the Los Angeles Police Department, and are expected to be put in use starting this summer, officials said Tuesday.
The 860 Taser Axon body cameras were delivered to the department last week, earlier than expected, LAPD Chief Information Officer Maggie Goodrich told the Police Commission.
The cost of the devices, as well as two years of storage, are covered by about $1.5 million in private donations made through the Los Angeles Police Foundation, the result of a fundraising drive started by commission President Steve Soboroff.
Once a policy is drawn up on how to use the cameras, the devices will be used at the Newton, Central and Mission divisions.
The department is in the midst of talks with the police officers' union to discuss usage rules for the cameras, Chief Charlie Beck said after the meeting. He said the cameras will likely "be deployed over the summer" and will "complement in-car video perfectly."
The LAPD is poised to get even more cameras, with Mayor Eric Garcetti proposing to ramp up the number of body cameras by 7,000 in his upcoming budget so that each LAPD patrol officer will have one.
(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
