St. Louis to equip police with body cameras
After a crowded, emotional public meeting of St. Louis's Board of Estimate and Apportionment, officials agreed to equip the city's police officers with body cameras.
The agreement is for trial period of one year, with up to 1,300 cameras in use. The equipment will be furnished by Axon, an Arizona company once called Taser International, according to an article in the Riverfront Times.
The issue was debated for over two hours by Mayor Lyda Krewson; Lewis Reed, President of the Board of Aldermen; and Darlene Green, the city's Comptroller. Reed was the one who first brought the contract before the board for approval. He said the agreement provides not only free cameras, but also all the services to support them, for a full year. His words were:
Although both Krewson and Green say they support cameras, they were unhappy with the way Reed presented the contract, bringing it to them the same day they were expected to vote on it. Without adequate time for review, they hesitated. However, public pressure in favor of the cameras is intense, and a compromise was reached – the board agreed to approve the trial period, as long as provision was made to initiate the request for proposals (RFP) process by the year's end.
Meetings like this can benefit if officials work with a flyer printing company to create an agenda for attendees.
The agreement is for trial period of one year, with up to 1,300 cameras in use. The equipment will be furnished by Axon, an Arizona company once called Taser International, according to an article in the Riverfront Times.
The issue was debated for over two hours by Mayor Lyda Krewson; Lewis Reed, President of the Board of Aldermen; and Darlene Green, the city's Comptroller. Reed was the one who first brought the contract before the board for approval. He said the agreement provides not only free cameras, but also all the services to support them, for a full year. His words were:
“It's not going to cost the city one, thin dime.”
Although both Krewson and Green say they support cameras, they were unhappy with the way Reed presented the contract, bringing it to them the same day they were expected to vote on it. Without adequate time for review, they hesitated. However, public pressure in favor of the cameras is intense, and a compromise was reached – the board agreed to approve the trial period, as long as provision was made to initiate the request for proposals (RFP) process by the year's end.
Meetings like this can benefit if officials work with a flyer printing company to create an agenda for attendees.