San Antonio Approves $16.6 Million For Police Body Cameras

San Antonio will spend more than $16.6 million to outfit its police department with 2,200 body cameras, as several recent incidents of police violence caught on cell phone video have led to a push for officer accountability across the country.

The legislation was approved at Thursday’s city council meeting.

“Current events across the nation have brought body worn cameras to the forefront in policing and the subject of significant discussion in the law enforcement and civil liberties communities,” the legislation reads.

“The San Antonio Police Department has always sought to be proactive and adaptive to new technologies as they become available.”

• SEE ALSO: Austin Police To Start Wearing Body Cameras Next Year

The city will strike a five-year contract with TASER International to provide the cameras with an option for three, year-long extensions.

The cameras will be rolled out over a two-year period, starting with the downtown bike patrol and park police, since they currently have no video systems of any kind.

The money will cover the cost of the cameras, training and storage for video files.

“I’m very pleased that we’re at this point,” San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor said, according to MySanAntonio.com. “I know these past couple years, we all turn on the news every night and see incidents in communities around the nation and usually thank God that it’s not happening here.”