The Detroit Police Department will soon equip all its officers with body cameras and ensure that every patrol car has a working dashcam.
The details have not yet been announced; however, it is expected that Mayor Mike Duggan and Police Chief James Craig will confirm the initiative at a press conference on Tues., August 18. The cameras, which are no bigger than a lipstick tube, are designed to record an officer’s point-of-view at all times.
The cameras will allow officers to accurately document critical information, crime scene evidence, and police-citizen interaction. It will also help to promote confidence and trust of law enforcement within the community.
DPD started testing the body cameras in late 2014. The program was recently extended to 20 officers in the 11th precinct.
The shooting deaths of several unarmed individuals over the past year has prompted a heated debate over whether or not these cameras should be used to ensure that police officers maintain accountability. President Barack Obama advocated for the use of body cameras following last year’s shooting death of 18-year old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. By providing actual footage of all police-citizen interactions, body cameras will reveal truth and lessen speculation.
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