Madison Common Council approves police body camera program

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The City of Madison Common Council voted in favor of body camera pilot program.

The 11-9 vote came just before 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning after hours long discussion. Council members took up the agenda item starting at 1:00 a.m.

The proposal would equip police officers in the North district with 48 body-worn cameras. In its 2021 capital project, the Madison Common Council approved $83,000 for the program.

BREAKING: The City of Madison Common Council votes 11-9 in favor of a body-camera pilot program for the Madison Police Department. The debate started around 1:00 a.m. and the final vote happened just before 4:00 a.m. @nbc15_madison
— Gabriella Rusk (@GabriellaRusk) April 20, 2022

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes, who was optimistic the program would get the green light, wrote in a statement that he is “grateful” the Madison Common Council approved the program.

“We now begin the process of moving forward with this technology pilot,” the statement reads. “There is still much work to do and heavy loads to lift in order to rebuild trust with our community whom we proudly serve.”

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