Baltimore police begin testing body cameras

Source: Yahoo! News / Reuters

BALTIMORE (Reuters) - Baltimore's police department on Monday began testing body cameras on its officers, six months after the death of a black man in custody sparked the worst rioting the city has seen in a half century.

More than 150 uniformed officers and detectives stationed throughout the city will begin wearing cameras to record their interactions with the public as the department considers whether to make the cameras standard equipment.

Police departments in major U.S. cities including Los Angeles, New York and Chicago have all tested cameras on officers' uniforms or in their patrol cars. Advocates say the cameras can provide tangible evidence of police interactions with the public at a time of high tensions following fatal police shootings of unarmed black men in cities including Baltimore; Ferguson, Missouri; and North Charleston, South Carolina.

"To deny the probable advent of body-worn cameras into the law enforcement profession would be unrealistic," said Gene Ryan, president of the city's police union, who served on a commission appointed by the mayor to look into body cameras. "It is clear that in many cases, the cameras will be an asset to our profession."

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