Some of Montreal's police officers will soon be wearing body cameras.

After pursuing the idea for some time, the city of Montreal announced Wednesday that it will go ahead with the pilot project.

Both the police force and civil rights groups had been asking for the body cameras. On Wednesday the executive committee approved a project which will outfit 50 police officers with the bodycams.

The move comes at a time when cellphone videos of confrontations between police and citizens have become more common. In light of the anger and outrage some of these videos have provoked, authorities have suggested that body cameras would provide a clear picture of any interaction.

Other cities have tested these cameras, and so far there is some evidence that shows they reduce the use of force by front-line officers, as well as and complaints against police.

Fo Niemi, executive director of the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations welcomed the news.

“This kind of video can help police become more transparent, and also make them more conscious of how they do their job and provide citizens a better sense of reassurance that everything is correct,” said Niemi.

There remain some issues to address, according to Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien, who has flagged several issues with police forces wearing cameras.

There is no word yet which police units will be wearing these body cameras nor how long this project is expected to last.