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Chino police to start using on-body cameras by end of year
A still from a Taser Axon Flex on-body camera promotional video.
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Taser
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The Chino City Council unanimously approved the purchase of 100 on-body video cameras Tuesday night for use by Chino police officers.
The 100 video recorders and accompanying software will be purchased from Taser International of Scottsdale, Ariz. The total projected cost to implement the project is $295,825, according to the City Council's Nov. 19 agenda, including $73,238 for the equipment itself.
You can see the Taser Axon Flex cameras that Chino is purchasing in the promotional video from Taser below:
The Chino Police Department has been looking into these miniature cameras officers can wear for years, says Chino PD officer Tamrin Olden. Currently, the department equips officers with audio recorders, but Olden said information obtained using a video camera is more useful in a courtroom setting. He said it was a "great benefit" to both the police and the public.
The Chino PD currently employs 103 sworn personnel and all officers will be required to wear the on-body cameras, Olden said, including 49 patrol officers.
The program is expected to be fully implemented by the new year.
Chino is not the first city to pursue having officers don on-body cameras. The Los Angeles Police Department is also moving in that direction.
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More than $1 million has been raised to equip hundreds of L.A. police officers with the cameras. A plan to have 60 officers field-test them was expected to begin this month.
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