Advertisement KCPD to begin testing body-worn cameras The 90-day test will allow the city to determine the necessary data storage Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Starting some time this week, some Kansas City Police officers will begin wearing body cameras as a test for the city. Police said the test, which is scheduled to last 90 days, will help determine the type of data storage the city will need to sustain department-wide usage. It will also give the department a good idea of the cost of that equipment and storage, as well as pinpoint necessary upgrades to KCPD's information technology. The department said the test will start at some point in the next week, when the department's IT service is ready to support it. A group of members of the KCPD have spent more than a year meeting with the community regarding this subject, as well as studying other agencies who have implemented body-worn cameras. “We’ve seen other agencies rush to get the cameras out and then have to pull them back because they couldn’t afford the storage costs or other issues,” Chief Darryl Forté said. “We don’t want that to happen in Kansas City. If we promise something to people, we want to be able to keep that promise.” Police said a vendor has loaned the department 25 cameras to test. The only cost to the department at this time is an estimated $1,000 of overtime related to training on the equipment. The cameras are expected to be tested on officers who work in urban and suburban patrol divisions, as well as in specialized units like Traffic Enforcement and Bike Patrol. Officers who use the cameras will also be surveyed about their experience with them.