Yakima Police Looking At Body Cameras For Officers

Yakima Police are looking at purchasing body cameras for officers after a pilot program tested a number of different devices in 2016. Yakima Police Chief Dominic Rizzi says he's concerned about large blanket requests that could cost thousands of dollars and must be released on a deadline. "It can be very expensive to fill these blanket requests"
Last year the state legislature helped police agencies with a new law signed by the Governor. The police body camera law sets rules on what body-camera footage is presumed to be private under the public records act, sets up a task force to examine best practices for their use and it encourages police agencies that plan to use the cameras to adopt policies related to their use.
The law will also limit who can request body camera footage, requiring the requester to know details about the incident like case number or names of those involved. Rizzi is expected to make a presentation to the Yakima City Council on 6:00 p.m. Tuesday at city hall. The projected cost for Yakima is about $900,000.