KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) - Police in Kalamazoo are testing body cameras that attach to officer uniforms to record video and audio.
The Kalamazoo Gazette reports Saturday that Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley says cameras add a layer of transparency and he wants to make them standard equipment.
Hadley says that body cameras "make sense" and protect officers and the community.
A police lieutenant has been wearing a lightweight, battery-powered camera for about a month. The cameras cost about $1,200 each. Hadley says the department would need 100 to 125 of them for sergeants and patrol officers.
Kalamazoo officer Sara Choi tells the newspaper that camera footage can help identify suspects or witnesses when police are called to fights or large disturbances. She says the footage also could be helpful as evidence in court.
