Los Angeles Police to Launch Largest Body Cam Program in U.S.

The Los Angeles Police Department will begin rolling out body cameras next month, the first stage of a program that will eventually become the largest in the U.S.

The LAPD, which has been studying the technology for two years, will begin introducing the first batch of a total of 7,000 cameras next week, according to the LA Times. The first 860 cameras, paid for by private donations of around $1.5 million, will be gradually deployed over the next month. The program will make the police department the biggest law enforcement agency to widely adopt the technology.

About 7,000 police agencies currently use body cameras around the U.S., with many adopting them over the last year as a means of providing transparency and accountability as scrutiny of police tactics and the use of force has increased. Body cameras have routinely been a topic of discussion among protesters concerned about police misconduct.

While many welcome the growing use of body cameras by police departments, the ACLU says it’s opposed to it in Los Angeles, as LAPD policy states that the department will only release recordings publicly if they’re involved in court proceedings.