Lakeland police officers issued body cameras ahead of 2023 - WTSP.com

LAKELAND, Fla. — The Lakeland Police Department is the latest instrumentality enforcement bureau successful the Tampa Bay portion to follow the usage of body-worn cameras.

All 250 officers are getting assemblage cameras by the extremity of the week, starting with patrol officers. The bureau plans to person everyone outfitted by the New Year's vacation weekend.

Lt. Frank Fitzgerald has been starring the grooming and organisation of the cameras implicit the past fewer weeks.

The public telephone for assemblage cameras rang retired loudly successful 2020 pursuing the decease of George Floyd. Black Lives Matter of Polk County called for each instrumentality enforcement successful the region to deterioration assemblage cameras. Then-Lakeland Police Chief Ruben Garcia said helium was unfastened to the proposition but said outgo and uncovering the close exertion are factors

That would magnitude to $938,000 a year, according to commissioners. 

The decade-long declaration is with Axon Enterprises, and it includes overmuch much than cameras. 

The Lakeland Police Department volition besides person 250 tasers, 165 in-car camera systems, 10 virtual world grooming headsets and 3 interrogation country camera systems.

Our reporting successful 2020 revealed the usage of assemblage cameras successful Tampa Bay instrumentality enforcement agencies was uncommon and not a azygous bureau successful Polk County had cameras.

Now, the bulk of the area's largest instrumentality enforcement agencies usage cameras including Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco sheriff's offices and St. Petersburg, Tampa and Bradenton constabulary departments.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd has agelong been against either assemblage cams oregon dash cams. His presumption connected either inactive stands — citing outgo and an penetration of privacy.

In 2020, Judd said, “Body cameras don’t constituent astatine us, they constituent astatine you. The authorities does not person a close to enactment assemblage cameras connected and photograph the sanctuary wherever you should beryllium safest. The authorities does not person a close to bash that."

A spokesperson with the sheriff's bureau said they inactive person nary plans to acquisition cameras arsenic the section has continued concerns implicit national privateness and costs.

Winter Haven Police issued assemblage cameras to each patrol officers successful May 2022. The Bartow Police Department inactive doesn't person cameras but a spokesperson says they anticipation to get them by adjacent year.