Spurred by yet another huge citizen protest over police killing of suspects in custody, the Department of Justice is deploying $20 million towards developing a program for body cameras on police officers. Around $17 million of the program will go towards competitive grants to test the program, with $2 million for training and $1 million for evaluating the body cameras. Many police departments, such as San Francisco's, have already begun developing such programs.
Said new Attorney General Loretta Lynch in a press release:
"Body-worn cameras hold tremendous promise for enhancing transparency, promoting accountability, and advancing public safety for law enforcement officers and the communities they serve."
This comes on the heels of the arrest of six officers in Baltimore over the death of Freddie Gray, who suffered a severed spinal cord while in police custody, sparking violent protests across the city.
Source: NBC News
