MB City Employees Will Soon Wear Body Cameras
MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami/AP) -- Miami Beach police and other city officials will soon wear body cameras to record their activities.
City commissioners voted Wednesday to approve roughly $3 million to purchase cameras over the next five years for police, code and parking enforcement, building inspectors and fire inspectors.
Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy Morales had been pushing to equip various city employees with wearable cameras.
The cameras, which would come from Taser International, would help monitor their interactions with the public.
Miami Beach police will receive the initial 50 to 60 cameras. Parking, code, fire and building departments will each receive five cameras.
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The idea comes on the heels of the controversial and fatal police shooting of an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri.
While some are in favor of the cameras on police, some aren't quite sure it's necessary for other city workers.
An officer will have recordings for a full day, every day so anybody can submit a public records request and ask for an officer's tape from the entire day.
The city is planning a three-to-six month evaluation period followed by an 18-to-24 month rollout of additional cameras for city departments.
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