Los Angeles to Be First Major City to Equip Every Cop with a Body Camera
Los Angeles will be the first major city in the United States to equip every one of its officers on the street with a body camera. The city will be purchasing 7,000 cameras in order to document the activities of its officers and to promote transparency.
$1.5 million in private money has been raised so far to get this camera program rolling. Garcetti also says that his budget next year will include funding for 7,000 cameras in order to provide one for every single officer walking the streets of LA.
“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,” Garcetti says.
Earlier this month, President Obama announced that his administration would be funding a $263 million program that would provide 50,000 cameras for police officers.
Axon’s body camera features a 130° lens, low-light technology, a 12-hour battery life, 4 hours of storage at highest quality (13 at lowest), a smartphone app, live view streaming to phones, GPS tagging and metadata, 30fps video recording at VGA resolution, a rechargeable battery, and data protection features.
