The Paducah Police Department will soon join other law enforcement agencies across the country opting to mandate on-duty officers to wear body cameras.
Last night, Paducah City Commissioners introduced an ordinance to purchase 65 TASER brand body cameras for the PPD.
Police Chief Brandon Barnhill says recent incidents regarding use of force by police officers in New York and Ferguson, Mo are primary reasons for the move.
"In a lot of cases, it justifies their actions," said Barnhill. "It explains to the community what's going on, what precipitated the incident or why the officer was forced to react the way they did. And in some cases, the officer is misbehaving."
Barnhill says he acknowledges there are concerns about the possibility of citizens being less willing to talk to police while being recorded.
Kentucky State Police troopers are not using body cameras yet, but some western Kentucky law enforcement agencies have embraced the technology.
The McCracken County and Graves County Sheriffs' Departments are already using body cameras and so are the Cadiz and Mayfield Police Departments.
Sheriff's offices in Calloway, Christian and Marshall counties are considering acquiring body cameras, currently weighing policy issues and the cameras' costs.
Police departments in Murray and Marion are also mulling the prospect.
The cameras will cost PPD roughly $105,540 in the first year and $43,000 every year afterward. The service contract with TASER International includes cloud video storage for up to five years. Barnhill says PPD will look again at upgrading equipment and the terms of the contract in five years.
Barnhill says only 1 percent of arrests in Paducah involve force. In 2014, the Department had 2,516 arrests with 26 resulting in a use of force beyond routine handcuffing.
