Wilmington City Council members have introduced legislation to fund body cameras for the city’s police force.
The Police Department had hoped to fund the program in part through a federal grant, but did not receive it.
Councilman Trippi Congo sponsored the ordinance, which appropriates more than $700,000 from the City’s tax stabilization reserve this Fiscal Year to fund four new positions to administer the programalong with body cameras for every sworn officer.
“A lot of us on Council want to do the whole department," said Congo.
City Councilman Bud Freel said at Thursday’s Council meeting the earliest the legislation would go to committee would be next month.
A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office said in June the administration was “looking at ways other than a budget amendment” to fund a body camera program.
Some city residents have spoken out in favor of body cameras for Wilmington police, citing an officer-involved shooting in Wilmington this August as well as incidents in other cities.
