20 Detroit police officers to test new body cameras

Body-mounted cameras will be part of 20 Detroit police officers' uniforms for a 90-day pilot program starting Friday in a precinct on the city's east side, city officials said Wednesday.

The cameras, in an effort to increase transparency, are to support the "critical" relationship between citizens and police in Detroit, Mayor Mike Duggan said at a press conference.

The device, mounted on an officer's lapel, shirt or glasses, is to record interactions with the public during each shift, with the contents uploaded daily to a digital cloud. Each camera can be turned on and off by the officers for user and victim privacy, according to a news release.

The participating officers are in the 11th Precinct, an area bordered in part by John R Street, 8 Mile Road, Outer Drive and Carpenter Street, according to the city's website.

Duggan, Detroit Police Chief James Craig and other city officials announced the program to members of the media shortly before noon Wednesday at the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters.

If the results are positive, and funding and a full roll-out are approved, the police department plans to obtain 415 cameras. That would include 30 in each precinct to be shared among officers and the rest going to specialized units such as narcotics and the tactical response unit for mandatory use, according to a news release.

Investigative units would have access to download the footage and use it for evidence if needed, according to the release.

Duggan said that before a department-wide program is launched, there would first be requests sent to the police commmission and city council for their review and approval.

The pilot program is to run until June 5. A different brand of camera will be tested for each 30 days of the program; included are cameras from Taser Co., Innovative Solutions and Data 911.

The officers testing the cameras have experience ranging from one year to 29 years, and special operations officers will be testing them as well as patrol-based officers and supervisors, according to the news release.

Duggan said it was decided to do the pilot program after officers participating in a previous test "very strongly recommended that we go to the next step."

Contact Robert Allen at rallen@freepress.com or @rallenMI