TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Traverse City is joining other Michigan cities that have put body cameras on police officers.
Chief Jeff O’Brien recommended cameras and vest carriers for roughly $80,000. City commissioners approved the plan Monday.
O’Brien has been seeking cameras since 2017.
“It took the tragic death of George Floyd for us all to become aware of the need. But our chief of police was thinking forward many, many years ago about this. ... Finally we’ve done it,” said Mayor Jim Carruthers.
O’Brien said the cameras could be in full use by the end of the year, WPBN-TV reported.
“We’re definitely going to have to train our officers on using the body-worn cameras, but there’s also an education campaign that has to be facilitated within the community, certainly the stakeholders in law enforcement,” the chief said.
“The prosecutor’s office is going to be really impacted with 18 to 20 officers working the road every day. There’s going to be a lot of video coming in,” O’Brien said.
