News

Actions

Body camera rollout for Cincinnati police to be delayed 1-2 weeks, city says

Posted at 9:55 AM, Jul 29, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-29 11:05:57-04

CINCINNATI – The rollout of body cameras for Cincinnati police, planned to begin Monday,  will be delayed one to two weeks, according to city officials.

"Minor contact language issues" with the supplier, TASER International, are holding up a final agreement, the city's chief procurement officer, Patrick Duhaney, said in a memo to City Manager Harry Black.

Duhaney said he now expects the first body cameras to be rolled out the week of Aug. 8. Black told city council Thursday that phasing in the cameras "will commence within a two-week window."

WATCH the video from June explaining the rollout in the video player above.

In May, CPD chose TASER's Axon Body 2 model cameras from 12 bids. The plan called for 700 officers to have cameras by the end of the year and the entire force to be equipped by mid-2017. Central Business District, Special Events, Traffic, Gang and K-9 Units will be the first to receive body cameras. The cameras and management support system will cost about $5.5 million.

The city submitted a draft contract to TASER in early July, Duhaney said. After some back-and-forth, they agreed on the "major components of the deal."

"I expect that we will get the contract executed early next week," Duhaney said.

Once that happens, it will be just a few days to rollout, Duhaney said.

"TASER International will deliver the equipment overnight, hardware installation will begin soon thereafter and be completed within a few days of delivery, and the first BWCs will be rolled out within a few days of hardware installation," he said.

Check out the interactive timeline below to see how the discussion of police body cameras in Cincinnati has evolved in recent years.