Multiple studies have concluded that the American public wants cops to wear body cameras, with some surveys concluding that more than 90% of people feel this way. Now reports have begun to roll in that cops are getting taxpayer funded raises to wear them. Veuer’s Tony Spitz has the details.
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00:00Multiple studies have concluded that the American public wants cops to wear body cameras,
00:04with some surveys concluding that more than 90 percent of people feel this way.
00:08Now, Canadian news outlet The Globe and Mail reports cops are getting taxpayer-funded raises
00:13to wear them. They reported that areas like Philadelphia have begun handing out what they
00:17are calling accountability pay. This is something that was sought by police unions there, granting
00:22them a one-time body camera-wearing bonus of $1,500 and a series of raises. In 2021,
00:28they received a 2.75 percent raise and a 3.5 percent raise in 2022 and 2023.
00:35The New York Times also reported that Worcester, Massachusetts officers have been given $1,300
00:40a year for wearing them, with one of the city's city councilors saying about it, quote,
00:44I cannot imagine that when community members called for police transparency and justice,
00:48beyond body cams, that they envisioned that it would come with a reward.
00:52The annual bonus will cost taxpayers in the area around $2 million over just five years.
00:57But Worcester isn't alone. These pay raises and annualized bonuses are becoming commonplace in
01:03areas all over the country. Meanwhile, body cam usage remains low, even within departments that
01:08have already purchased the cameras. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that adoption for
01:13local police agencies set at 60 percent and only 49 percent for sheriff's offices.