Gila County Sheriff’s officers are expected to start implementing body cameras in their daily law enforcement efforts after they were awarded a grant last week.
According to a report by the Payson Roundup, the Gila County Board of Supervisors accepted the grant of over $100,000 with plans to purchase 85 body cameras and related equipment to be used by GCSO patrol units.
GCSO officers will be trained in the use of the cameras with the hope that they will help provide more civility, transparency and trust during officers’ interactions with citizens.
GCSO would join Payson police and a growing number of departments around the state in their use of body cameras.
Although it's not a law in Arizona, seven other states, including Colorado and New Mexico now mandate the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement officers.