The Prince George’s County, Maryland, police department may receive additional body cameras after last week’s deadly shooting of a handcuffed man highlighted its lack of them.
Now, momentum appears to be building for getting the cameras on all county police patrol officers.
A plan has been in the works for months to spend $1.2 million on a camera program covering more than 1,000 officers, said Gina Ford, a spokeswoman for Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
The funds, which still need to be approved by the county council, would mainly cover video storage costs.
Police said they’ve been requesting complete funding for a body-worn camera program since 2017.
Currently, only 80 officers wear the cameras as part of a second-generation pilot program. A first batch of cameras didn’t work for the department because of insufficient battery life.
Police Cpl. Michael Owen Jr. was charged with second-degree murder in connection with William Howard Green’s death last week.
Separately, the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office, which responds to 911 calls about domestic violence in parts of the county, announced the implementation of a body camera program in 2018.
