SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) - Sioux City police officers could be wearing body cameras by the end of the year.
Police Chief Rex Mueller said the City Council will consider on Monday whether to approve spending $260,000 to purchase 120 body cameras for officers.
It appears likely the purchase will be approved, The Sioux City Journal reported. Mayor Bob Scott said Friday that he would be shocked if the purchase wasn’t approved unanimously.
After some time for training, officers would likely be wearing the cameras by late this year, Mueller said.
Purchasing cameras is voluntary for Iowa law enforcement agencies Sioux City has been considering them for years but Mueller said financing was never available because of other budget priorities.
Mueller said Friday that vocal public support for the cameras pushed the issue to the forefront.
The issue of body cameras, as well as excessive use of force by police officers, was raised by several city residents at a July 6 council meeting.
Ike Rayford, president of the NAACP chapter in Sioux City, said the group was happy to hear body cameras could be coming to the city, although he said Black residents do no have a contentious relationship with police.
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