Tampa Police will roll out a pilot program to check the effectiveness of officers wearing body cameras; It’s part of a nationwide movement to document more interactions between police and the public, especially following several high-profile deaths.
Council member Frank Reddick asked Chief Jane Castor how Tampa Police officers felt about using the cameras.
Chief Castor said the cameras will be purchased from TASER International and the contract for storage and analysis of the video will be with the company evidence.com.
The officer will have to activate the camera in order to begin recording. Instead of mounting them on the chest, cameras will either be on the officer’s hat, uniform epaulet or glasses. City Council will hear an update on the body cameras from Tampa’s next police chief on June 25.
