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Seattle delays plan for police body cameras

Published  February 14, 2015 11:04am PST
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle is delaying its plan to equip police with body cameras until privacy issues can be considered, and public comment heard.

The Seattle Times reports the city's Community Police Commission issued a statement saying the new technology may have unintended consequences.

The 12-member commission has struggled for months to come to agreement on the issue. The group supported a plan to try out the camera in the East Precinct, but is now saying the department should pause the plan to make the cameras permanent until more study can be completed.

Seattle officials had planned to equip every patrol officer with the small cameras by 2016. Other police forces across the country have already adopted police body cameras.

Ron Smith of the Seattle Police Officers' Guild says there hasn't been enough public input on the idea.