Seven More CPD Districts To Receive Body Cameras This Fall
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago police officers in seven districts will be the next group to receive body cameras, as the department works to have every cop on patrol equipped with the devices by the end of 2018.
Police said officers in the Englewood, Harrison, Chicago Lawn, Grand Crossing, Grand Central, Central, and Near North districts would begin receiving the cameras this fall. Those districts cover a large swath of the South and West Sides, where most of the city's violent crime is concentrated.
Each district will receive infrastructure improvements necessary to equip and operate the cameras.
The department began using body cameras under a pilot program last year, and currently has about 2,000 cameras in use in seven districts. Police Supt. Eddie Johnson has said about $8 million will be used to buy an additional 5,000 cameras by the end of 2018.
The department has said expanding the use of body cameras will provide more accountability and transparency.
The money for the additional cameras will come from the department's operating budget and available grants.