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% of people feel this way.
00:08Now Canadian news outlet the Globe and Mail reports,
00:11cops are getting taxpayer-funded raises to wear them.
00:14They reported that areas like Philadelphia have begun handing out what they are calling
00:18accountability pay. This is something that was sought by police unions there,
00:21granting them a one-time body camera wearing bonus of $1,500 and a series of raises.
00:27In 2021, they received a 2.75% raise and a 3.5% 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 councillors saying about it,
00:44quote, I 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
01:12for local police agencies sat at 60% and only 49% for sheriff's offices.