$59M Plan To Outfit LAPD Officers With Body Cameras Approved

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — The Los Angeles City Council signed off Wednesday on a $59 million plan to equip Los Angeles Police Department officers with body cameras and cellphones.

The council voted to move ahead with a contract to purchase about 7,000 body cameras and also Sprint cellphones that officers can use to review and manage the video footage.

"Transparency is key in this," said Mitch Englander, a Los Angeles City council member. "It's a big contract, it's a big technology movement, it's a paradigm shift in the way that we police our city."

The plan includes a contract with Arizona-based Taser International to provide the cameras along with equipment upgrades and video storage, plus 4,400 stun guns.

The LAPD already rolled out 860 chest-cameras last year. The rest will be phased in over five years beginning as early as this summer.

Supporters say cameras could reduce excessive force incidents by recording police encounters.

Mayor Eric Garcetti says the council is investing in a Police Department that "leads in transparency and accountability."

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