By the end of summer, body cameras will be a new addition to some Atlanta Police Department (APD) officers’ uniforms, according to APD Director of Public Affairs Elizabeth Espy.
Of APD’s approximately 2,000 officers, as reported by 11Alive, the department hopes 1,100 officers will wear the cameras, according to Espy.
“There is training that still needs to be done so we hope to begin the rollout later this summer,” she said.
APD also plans to provide body cameras to Narcotics and Homicide detectives, according to 11Alive.
Espy said the department has been researching and testing body cameras since early 2014, and Chief George Turner will make the final departmental decisions.
“We tested 11 models and have narrowed it down to two. We have not made a final determination on what vendor we will use,” she said.
Georgia State sophomore psychology student Charbel Aoun said he believes citizens will be protected better if APD police officers wear body cameras.
“As a student at Georgia State, I feel that being in the heart of Atlanta provides parents and students with an unsettling feeling that students will be unsafe,” he said. “However, as the growth in technology provides better ways for police officers to provide security for students and people of Atlanta, I believe that these cameras will increase protection and allow a more secure Atlanta environment.”
Body cameras are currently used in one-third of the United States’ police departments, according to Fox 6 Now.
The 21st Century Policing Task Force also approves of more body camera use by police officers in their report, according to Fox 6 Now.
The task force was created by President Barack Obama to identify and make recommendations to promote crime reduction, according to the Federal Register.
