(Article courtesy of Tactical Life)

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that all NYPD patrol officers will be outfitted with body cameras by the end of  2019.

The announcement is part of a new five-year contract between the city and the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association — the city’s largest police union with nearly 24,000 members — who agreed to drop a lawsuit related to body cameras. The contract also includes a combined raise of 11 percent for officers.

“Rather than a long contention fight over these issues, we found common ground,” de Blasio said. “Being able to affirm that we were all on the same page about the rapid expansion of the use of body cameras…that was big substantive progress for this city.”

An initial 5,000 cameras will be deployed by July 2018, de Blasio said. VIEVU, a Safariland brand, will handle that roll-out.


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Photo courtesy of Tactical Life