Worcester Council Moves Police Body Camera Proposals Along

WORCESTER, MA — A proposal to outfit Worcester police officers with body cameras moved ahead this week after the City Council approved several measures toward implementation of the program.

The bodycam proposal landed in Council this summer following a pilot program in 2019. According to a report prepared by the department, the program could cost up to $11 million over five years, which includes the cameras, new Taser weapons, cell phones for each officer and personnel to oversee the bodycam program.

The City Council public safety committee has been debating the program in recent weeks. The committee made several recommendations to advance the program along, including potential public meetings across the city in the coming months, details on different bodycam packages, costs related to potential legal action related to cameras and a report on how the 2019 pilot affected police policies. The Council on Tuesday approved those measures.

READ: Worcester Police Eye 'Cadillac' Of Body Cameras Made By Axon

The 2019 pilot, which ran between May and October, used cameras made by Axon, the leading maker of police body cameras. Worcester Chief Steven Sargent has presented three plans for buying Axon cameras: the cheapest package would cost $4.4 million over five years, and the most expensive would be $5.7 million, and would include 453 units of Axon's latest camera model — the Axon 3 — plus 453 Taser 7 weapons and the company's "OSP7+" plan.

District 1 Councilor Sean Rose this summer proposed making the bodycam program permanent amid a national uprising over police violence — including a June 1 clash between protesters and Worcester police in Main South. Rose has asked for the program to go online by January.