As Portland prepares to buy police body cameras, critics demand policies around their use

Portland’s plan to buy police body cameras before developing policies governing how they’ll be used drew criticism at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, where community members turned out to testify for a different approach.

Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who once supported the plan to move forward, is reconsidering her position after hearing community input.

“I am concerned that we’re asking for the wrong thing,” City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty said during a presentation on the acquisition process by Tammy Mayer, the Portland Police Bureau’s body camera program manager. “What you’re asking for in your requirements are not consistent with what the needs are that we have for this body cam program.”

Read more from OPB here.