Lexington police are planning to roll out body cameras to some 400 officers this summer. The $2.5 million dollar purchase must still win approval by the council. Members of the council’s planning and public safety committee got an update Tuesday.
Assistant Police Chief Dwayne Holman says the money would go for 800 cameras, two for each user. “We want officers to record from the initial contact throughout the conclusion of that encounter, whatever that law enforcement contact is, we want to record the start and end,” said Holman.
Pending final approval, Holman says training would likely begin in June with a gradual rollout of the cameras that would be distributed across all three police sectors in Lexington.
The assistant chief says body cameras shouldn’t be considered a panacea, “There’s still gonna be potential issues. There may be malfunctions, there may be angles that may cause still conflict in something that occurred when you’re trying to figure out what really did happen."
Committee member Susan Lamb asked about public education about the cameras. The assistant chief said that will be part of the rollout. ?
