CHARLOTTE, N.C.– The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has ordered the 1,400 body cameras approved for purchase by the Charlotte City Council.
The order, which was placed in the first quarter of this year, should be shipped during the second quarter of 2015.
The body cameras are being supplied by Seattle based TASERΒ International. According to TASERΒ International, the TASER Axon body and flex cameras are described as being small, yet highly visible and able to be attached to sunglasses, caps, shirt collars, or a head mount.
The pocket-sized battery pack will ensure that officers have recording capability for an entire shift.Β The cameras capture a wide angle, full-color view of what the officer is facing.
The camera order also includes storage on the cloud-based storage and management site EVIDENCE.com, where the video will be uploaded via a docking station. The video files are said to be secure and unable to be tampered with.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police department hopes the cameras will provide the community with a sense of transparency regarding the department and it’s interaction with the public.
Recent studies have shown many positive effects from the use of body cameras including a reduction in the number of citizen complaints, allegations, and uses of force.
The city council voted unanimously to purchase the cameras, but there was some question as to whether the city should buy the cameras outside of the normal budgeting process.
