Pittsburgh outfitting patrol officers with body cameras
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Patrol officers in Pittsburgh are being outfitted with body cameras after months of delays over privacy concerns.
A spokeswoman tells Sunday’s Tribune-Review that the city will use a $250,000 Justice Department grant to buy 200 body cameras.
Police say officers using the cameras while responding to shootings, domestic violence and other emergency calls will be trained on privacy laws that prevent their use within homes without the owner’s permission.
Pittsburgh previously purchased 35 body cameras for motorcycle and bicycle officers.
Chief Cameron McLay halted further deployment in February over concerns that patrol officers could face wiretap charges if they accidentally recorded inside a home.
Demands for police to wear the cameras have increased amid a series of fatal encounters across the country between police officers and unarmed civilians.