On Monday, September 15, 2014, the Minneapolis City Council approved a pilot study for Minneapolis Police Department Officers to wear body cameras. The City Council voted in favor of two, year-long contracts with two law enforcement body camera companies. The contracts for the officer-worn body camera evaluation provide for the camera equipment, service, and video storage until September 30, 2015.
A future City Council meeting will discuss how MPD officers will ensure a random and controlled sample for review during the evaluation period.
Other cities across the United States have shown that officer body cameras reduce police force and complaints against excessive force. A recent study on the use of officer-worn body cameras with the Rialto California Police Department showed a 60 percent reduction in police use of force, and an 88 percent reduction in citizen complaints compared to the prior year without body cameras.
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Coley Grostyan is a Minneapolis criminal defense attorney who aggressively fights for those accused of crimes throughout the State of Minnesota.