Chicago Speeds Up Plan To Equip Officers With Body Cameras

By Associated Press
A police officer from Indiana holds the body camera he wears on his shift. Chicago police are investigating why the body camera of an officer involved in the fatal shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old last week was not recording at the time.
A police officer from Indiana shows the body camera he wears on his uniform. Darron Cummings / AP Photo
A police officer from Indiana holds the body camera he wears on his shift. Chicago police are investigating why the body camera of an officer involved in the fatal shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old last week was not recording at the time.
A police officer from Indiana shows the body camera he wears on his uniform. Darron Cummings / AP Photo

Chicago Speeds Up Plan To Equip Officers With Body Cameras

By Associated Press
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Chicago authorities say all police officers will be equipped with body cameras by the end of 2017, a year ahead of schedule.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel says in a Wednesday statement announcing the sped up schedule that body cameras “improve transparency while building trust.”

Scrutiny of police intensified after the release of a police-car video last year showing a white officer fatally shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times. The Justice Department launched a civil rights investigation, and Emanuel pledged sweeping reforms.

The city launched its body-camera program in 2015 and expanded it following protest over the McDonald video.

Wednesday’s statement didn’t include costs or camera numbers. But police said in September that 2,000 body cameras were in use and that 5,000 more would be bought for around $8 million.