WORCESTER — The long-awaited pilot program to equip a limited number of police officers with body cameras is close to finally happening.

Axon Enterprise Inc., an Arizona-based company that develops technology and weapons products for law enforcement, has donated 20 body-worn cameras and accessories for the Police Department's six-month pilot program.

In addition to the 20 body-worn cameras, Police Chief Steven M. Sargent said, Axon is providing the Police Department with 20 spare cameras, 20 docks to charge the cameras and various devices to mount the cameras on the officers.

He said Axon helped train the officers who will wear the cameras and is providing technical support during the pilot program.

As of 2017, body cameras and associated services made up about a quarter of Axon's overall business.

The value of the donations is $33,174, according to Chief Sargent. He said there is no cost to the Police Department for the pilot program.

City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. will ask the City Council on Tuesday night to adopt a resolution accepting the donation so the pilot program can move forward.

Chief Sargent said the Police Department has completed the training necessary to begin the pilot program.

He said 20 officers from the Operations Division, Neighborhood Response Team, and the Traffic Division will wear the cameras for their shifts.

No date has been announced for when the pilot program will begin.

Talk about equipping Worcester police officers with body cameras has been going on for nearly five years.

It was started by former Police Chief Gary J. Gemme in 2014 in the wake of highly controversial police incidents, including the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Police body cameras also were talked about during community-wide discussions in Worcester on diversity, race relations, and improving police relations with the community.

Advocates of body cameras say they can serve and protect both the public and the police.

Last June, Chief Sargent told the city Human Rights Commission that plans to equip city police officers with body cameras were a work in progress, with no firm timetable for when it might happen.

He said he had been trying for more than a year to finalize best practices for the cameras, working with other police agencies, the local police unions, the city Law Department and city administration.

In December, the city and the police officers’ union reached agreement on a multiyear contract that includes a framework for a body camera pilot program.

When the contract was agreed to, Mr. Augustus said the pilot program will provide the city with information on the value of the camera technology, as well as allow it to address concerns regarding the use and effectiveness of the equipment.