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LAPD moves forward with Taser-brand body cameras
File: LAPD Officers William Allen, left, and Guillermo Espinoza talk with two people in an argument on the street. Allen and Espinoza are part of LAPD's central station where the body cameras will be tested out for 90 days. LAPD announced Tuesday that they they plan to move forward and use Taser body cameras that offer a cloud-based video storage system.
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Maya Sugarman/KPCC
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The Los Angeles Police Department plans to move forward and use Taser-brand body cameras, L.A. Police Commission president Steve Soboroff told KPCC.
Officers field-tested two brands over the past 90 days. The decision came down to three cameras: two made by Taser and the other by a different company, Soboroff said.
“There was a spirited and long process to determine which equipment would be purchased by LAPD,” Soboroff said. “Our department made a determination that one of the Taser cameras was the right one for the LAPD.”
The Taser camera the LAPD chose fits on the chest of an officer, Soboroff said, while the other cameras looked at fit on the ear, hat or sunglasses of an officer.
“I believe that the on-body cameras will be transformative for law enforcement from both sides of the camera,” Soboroff said. “We’re looking for great transformative results, and the rest of the country frankly is looking at us to see how it works in the big city department.”
Soboroff said he thinks that within six months there will likely between 500 to 600 officers wearing the body cameras.
“My hope is that within a year they will get enough results to where we are able to make another purchase so every officer is wearing them,” Soboroff said.
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