A Massachusetts police department has launched a 6-month body camera pilot program.
The Telegram & Gazette reports that Worcester Police Chief Steven Sargent said in a statement Wednesday that the department hopes to use the body cameras to increase transparency, resolve complaints, deescalate volatile situations and improve officer training.
Twenty officers who volunteered for the pilot program will be outfitted with body cameras during their regular work shifts from May to November.
The cameras record audio and video and uploads the data to the cloud once officers place them in a docking bay at the end of their shift.
The city has discussed the possibility of equipping officers with body cameras since 2014 after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and other high-profile police shootings.
