Obama Pushes $263 Million For 50,000 Police Body Cameras

If you haven’t heard about all of the civil unrest happening in Ferguson, Mo (and other areas as well), you haven’t had the TV on or opened up a newspaper lately. As a citizen not too terribly far from Ferguson, I can tell you that it’s just about all that’s talked about anymore. And after the Grand Jury decided not to condemn the officer who shot Michael Brown, it’s become even more of a national news item, with celebrities everywhere speaking out about it. However you feel about the issue, I’m afraid it’s not going to disappear anytime soon, especially with a recent mandate coming from President Barack Obama. On Monday, it was announced that through an executive order, funding in the approximate amount of $263 million will be given to law enforcement agencies throughout the United States to prevent this kind of situation from happening again.

Of that $263 million, $75 million of it will be used to buy 50,000 body cameras for police officers to wear while on duty. The rest of the money will go toward further law enforcement training. The idea behind the body cameras is pretty straightforward – no one wants to see another situation similar to what has happened in Ferguson, Mo. A camera can only do so much, though; the police will still have to do their jobs, and sometimes their jobs will require them to take unfortunate steps – camera or no camera. It’s always good to be accountable to someone, though, which certainly must be one of the goals when it comes to implementing these body cameras.

Do you agree with President Obama’s decision, or do you think it isn’t enough? Or, do you feel like body cameras are an invasion of privacy for police officers everywhere? Let us know in the comments section below!

[Image via WashingtonTimes]

SOURCE: The Verge