Akron Police Move Forward with Testing of Body Cameras

The Ohio-based Akron Police Department will begin testing body cameras in 2015.

Police Chief James Nice and Mayor Don Plusquellic on Wednesday announced that the city has agreed to test 30 cameras as part of a no-cost, no-obligation agreement with body camera manufacturer Taser International. The cameras should be in use for about two months beginning in January.

… The city, however, has consistently cited the high cost of cameras and the required virtual storage of the video — as much as $800,000 to cover the first five years — as an obstacle. The department is searching for funds to help offset the estimated $800,000 startup costs and associated fees needed to operate and store the collected videos.

“I believe that body cameras will help our officers and the public by capturing what happens at a scene, so that the police officers are protected as well as our citizens,” Nice said. “I have no reservations about using the cameras for the purposes of viewing what happens during an incident. In fact, I welcome it, as do the vast majority of our officers on the street.”