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Portland Considers Equipping Police With Body Cameras

Portland police are considering adopting body cameras for the force.

Twenty-five officers would be part of a pilot program supported by Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling.

He says body cameras in other cities have benefited both the public and police.

“There are two things that are really important,” Strimling says. “One is transparency so that everybody can feel really comfortable that they know what happened at an event, but it also creates better accountability.

“There can be a lot of rumors, a lot of innuendo flying around, a lot of accusations, and when we can have a clearer documentation of what actually occurred, I think it protects both sides.”

The city has allocated $400,000 for equipment should the program be adopted.

Strimling says he’ll ask the City Council what protections will be in place for residents’ privacy during a public workshop at 5 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall.