NEW YORK CITY — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that the New York Police Department will equip its detectives, officers, and plainclothes officers with a body camera as part of a pilot program, in partnership with the company that provides body cameras to the city’s police department.
The NYPD has already begun accepting applications for body camera permits, which will go to a selection committee that includes representatives from the department, the city attorney, and the city health department.
The New York Post reports that the body camera program will also be administered by the city Department of Investigation, the Police Department’s body crime unit.
The NYPD is currently testing out a body cam in the Brooklyn boroughs department, and is also considering testing out the device in other departments in the city.
The body camera will have two sensors mounted on the front of the camera, and will capture the wearer’s face and body as well as the camera’s recorded video.
A third sensor, which is used for low-light footage, will be mounted on either side of the body and will record the wearer only during the day.
Body cameras will also capture video of the wearer and other witnesses, as well.
The cameras will be able to record images as well, but only if the wearer is wearing a camera-capable device.
The program, called Body Camera 101, will require applicants to submit an application, pay a $20 application fee, and provide a medical report and proof of insurance before they can get the device.
Applicants will have three years to purchase a camera and have the body cameras installed.
