With the White House announcing it would pursue making $263 million in matching funds available for a “Body Worn Camera Partnership Program,” Pittsburgh City Council and Mayor Bill Peduto have moved to make the units available far faster than they would have been.
On Dec. 8, council approved moving money from line items covering a variety of expenditures ranging from wall and step repair and facilities maintenance to splash zones and traffic signal hardware to free up $650,000—which, if the federal program were authorized, would be matched.
The move would not change either the total proposed $507.8 million operating budget or the $76.6 million proposed capital budget. Council has scheduled a final vote on both for Dec. 15.
Police Chief Cameron McLay acknowledged during his confirmation hearing that same day that there are still some privacy, procedural and legal issues to sort out before the body cameras can be issued department-wide.
So far, the units deployed with bicycle and motorcycle officers have had a positive effect, he said.
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