KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department will begin testing different body-worn cameras on more than two dozen officers in an effort “to increase transparency and accountability,” the agency said Monday.
Beginning Monday, 30 KCKPD officers will be outfitted with the cameras from multiple vendors, KCKPD said in a news release. The officers will wear the cameras for one month after receiving training from each vendor.
“This process will lead to the procurement of the technology designed to increase transparency and accountability, and reduce agency liability,” the department said in the release.
After Oct. 16, the officers will report their experiences, and the department will choose a final vendor for the cameras.
KCKPD’s body camera policy includes requirements for when the cameras should be powered on and when recordings should be activated, the department said.
The department did not say how much the new equipment was expected to cost.
KCKPD joins several other police departments in the Kansas City metro that have implemented body-worn cameras for its officers, including the Lenexa Police Department, the Grandview Police Department and the Overland Park Police Department.
The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department chose a vendor for body cameras last summer, but the initiative is currently on hold. The department has been working toward securing body cameras for several years.
