Philadelphia

SEPTA Police Officers Now Equipped With Body Cameras

The movements of every officer with Philadelphia’s main transit authority will be recorded while they are on duty.

Beginning on New Year’s Day, all members of the SEPTA Transit Police Department received body cameras.

When the plan was first announced back in August 2015, SEPTA Police Chief Thomas Nestel said: "I'm doing this because I think that it gives our police department more credibility with the community -- that they'll have more trust with us, that they feel there's some kind of check and balance.”

Some officers who trained with the cameras last week are already wearing the devices. Nestel said every officer should be ready to use them within the week.

The transit authority spent nearly $300,000 on the cameras for the more than 270 officers who are expected to use them.

Each officer will be responsible for activating the camera to record any incident. Cops ignoring protocol will face "serious repercussions." And Nestel said, if he has his way, officers could be fired for not recording when they should.

SEPTA intends to hold a news conference this coming week to provide details on the program.

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