NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Mayor David Briley's budget is set to take effect July 1st. As we take a hard look at the budget, we're learning Metro Police will not get the money they wanted for the body worn camera program.
According to the Mayor's budget, the program will be receiving $3 million. "Metro is in process of implementing body worn cameras throughout the city. Initial funding was provided through $15M in capital funds in 2017. In FY2020, $3 million in total has been allocated to impact departments’ operating budgets for implementation," reads the budget.
However, Chief Steve Anderson had requestsed $4.6 million for the program during budget hearings in March. That means the police department isn't getting the full funding it hoped for.
Most of the allotted cash will be spent on administrative costs to implement the program, including tech support and paying to store the video data.
The police department got the ball rolling on this iniative years ago. In 2017, $15 milliion was set aside to buy enough cameras for every Metro police officer.
Supporters of the program say the cameras will help protect citizens in cases of officer misconduct. The cameras cuold help officers, too, because footage could more accurately paint a picture of an incident when it's under review.
