All Chicago Patrol Officers Now Equipped With Body Cameras

CHICAGO, IL — Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Police Department announced Sunday that every patrol officer is now equipped with a body camera. About 7,000 officers will be outfitted with the cameras, making it the largest deployment of them in the United States. The rollout of the devices is a year ahead of schedule, Emanuel said.

The final police districts to receive the cameras were Calumet, Near West, Albany Park and Grand Central. The city said the rollout is intended to ramp up transparency and accountability, as well as promote the safety of officers and residents.

“Technology can support accountability and transparency, but it is just a tool," the mayor stated in a media release. "When accompanied by philosophies of community policing, these tools can be used to create teachable moments that strengthen safety and trust in every neighborhood.”

In 2015, Chicago police launched a body worn camera pilot program in the in the Shakespeare district on the Northwest Side. The program was expanded to six more districts in 2016. While the initial rollout was planned over two years, at the end of 2016, CPD announced the expedited expansion. Since then, officers have taken more than one million segments of footage.

“These devices have played a large role in protecting the rights of the citizens we serve and have shown firsthand the dangers CPD officers face every day to make Chicago safer," CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson stated in a media release. "Moving forward we will remain committed to identifying ways we can rebuild public trust and help our officers do their jobs more effectively and safely.”

The body cameras are durable, lightweight and can record eight hours of high-definition audio and video on a single charge. In preparation for the rollout, police district stations have undergone infrastructure improvements to accommodate the increased bandwidth and technology the cameras require.

Main image courtesy of Chicago Police Department