MADISON, Wis. (WKOW) -- The Madison Common Council voted to allow the Madison Police Department to start a pilot program for body cameras.
In an overnight vote, 16 council members voted for the measure, while 4 voted against it.
District 2 Alder Juliana Bennett spoke passionately at the Tuesday night meeting.
"My vote is in relation to the people that are not present are in relation to the many, many, many young black people in this city that are very concerned about just leaving their homes because of fear of being attacked and traumatize more by the police department," she said.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes has been pushing for the new technology for years. And when the vote came down, he released a statement:
"Approving our body-worn camera pilot program is a move forward for Madison. For nearly a decade, city leaders have questioned whether they belong here. In that time, they’ve become an industry standard. We know they won’t fix the problems of policing, but they will serve as a critical tool for transparency and accountability. We look forward to showing our community the benefits of this technology in the months to come.”
Now, some officers in the city's north district will be randomly selected to wear the cameras. After the testing, the city will determine whether use of the camera would be expanded.
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