Portland mayor: Police should prepare for body cameras

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is directing the police bureau to prepare for a body-worn camera program, in anticipation of the U.S. Department of Justice forcing the issue.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reports Wheeler said in a statement Tuesday that he's not alone in supporting police body cameras and that at least 75 other large government agencies use body worn cameras for policing.

The Justice Department is urging the city to adopt body cameras and other accountability measures to bring the city back into compliance with the 2014 settlement agreement.

Wheeler said he directed the police bureau to begin researching the different camera systems available.

A KGW investigation in February found the Portland Police Bureau is the only department among the 75 largest municipal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. where officers don’t use body-worn cameras.