Beginning on Monday, Albany police officers will be testing body cameras while on duty.
20 officers will be outfitted with the new technology, testing body worn cameras from four different vendors to find which will best meet the needs of the police department and the community. The cameras will be tested on a rotating basis. The officers will be split into two groups of 10 each and test one of the two vendors’ cameras for three weeks. After three weeks, the groups will switch cameras for another three weeks of testing. Once the other two of the four vendors delivers their cameras, the process will repeat until officers have had the opportunity to pilot cameras from all four vendors. Albany police say once a specific camera vendor is chosen, the other aspects of the policy will be developed with further public input.
The program had been expected to roll out over the summer. Funding comes from a $133,000 federal grant the department received in September of last year.
