Prince William Police To Test Body Cameras

Sign up for the Woodbridge Patch newsletter!

Prince William County police will start wearing body cameras under a pilot program that could begin this summer, according to media reports.

County supervisors last week approved a $3 million plan to equip 500 officers with the technology, which records interactions with the public in a video format, the Washington Post reported.

Prince William Police Chief Stephan Hudson said the plan would begin in July with a pilot program involving about 50 officers. He told the Post that county officials have yet to settle on the make and model of the cameras, and are trying to determine how to address issues such as storing the massive amounts of video footage they generate.

Many police departments around the country have considered equipping their officers with body cameras in the wake of controversial incidents, such as the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown last summer in Ferguson, Mo.

More on Patch:

• Driver Leads Police on Chase with Baby in the Backseat
• Dumfries-Area Apartment Hit by Gunfire
• Police: Barroom Assault Leads to Jail