The Ellisville, Missouri police department has begun purchasing body cameras for all of its police officers. The Saint Louis suburb had been planning on getting cameras for all officers, but the Ferguson riots and Michael Brown shooting made Ellisville expedite the process.
There are different styles of body cameras for police officers, but they all serve the same purpose. The cameras are attached to the front of the officer and can record all officer interactions with the public.
The body cameras will be used along with the dash board cameras Ellisville officers already have. “Most of our encounters are close encounters. I feel like this is going to capture everything that we need,” Ellisville Chief of Police Tom Felgate said. “I certainly feel like it’s a good tool for the officer.”
After the Mike Brown shooting, over 148,000 people have signed a White House petition for what they call The Mike Brown Law, calling for all officers to be required to wear body cameras.
