INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis police vehicles are getting new cameras installed in an effort to enhance transparency and safety for officers and the community.

Fleet technicians will be installing 1,400 in-car cameras in 700 police vehicles. Each police car will be outfitted with two. The back camera will take video of the back seats to capture a passenger’s actions.
The front facing camera will have the driver’s view.

“Both of our police officers and our community members must be held accountable for their actions if we are to guarantee safety for everyone in Indianapolis,” said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. “We hope these cameras will help to strengthen the bridge of trust between the community and our officers.”

The new cameras, along with body cams already in use, will cost taxpayers $591,000 a year.

“We think these would add value and context and information for the public to make decisions about an officer’s actions,” said Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Chris Bailey.

Bailey said the cameras will always be on standby mode. Video recording can be activated manually by lights and sirens, a computer dispatch, or holster sensors. Footage is recorded in the back of the vehicle, and can be accessed remotely. Once a camera is activated, it will include the previous 30 seconds.

Bailey said officers are able to manually turn the cameras off, but there are policies that will dictate when they can and can’t do that.

Bailey says the new cameras are another digital witness.

“I’m sure in the future, whether its an officer-involved incident or some incident involving the community, these cameras will provide valuable evidence and perspective about what exactly happened,” Bailey said.

Bailey said the footage can also be used to train officers on how they should handle themselves in various situations.

Bailey said only 700 cars will have the new cameras for now, but if the program is successful, it could be expanded to the rest of the fleet.

IMPD said they’ll prioritize traffic and district cars with cameras first because they have the highest rates of interaction with the community.