The City of Newport is set to embark on a one-year pilot program for police worn body cameras, according to a memo from City Manager Joe Nicholson.
This move comes in response to Council Resolution 2015-57 that was introduced by Councilor Florez in May 2015.
Studies have shown that
• Use of body cameras reduce use-of-force incidents by 59 percent
• Use of body cameras reduce citizens’ complaints by 87.5 percent
• Shifts without cameras were twice as likely to experience incidents of use-of-force as shifts with cameras.
The city is targeting July 2016 as a start date and the startup costs of the program to outfit 10 officers for a year is estimated to be $18,000.
