The question of whether Hartford police should wear body cameras took center stage at a public meeting Tuesday night.
Supporters of the idea said during public comment that cameras will increase accountability, decrease the use of force, and reduce the number of complaints filed against officers.
"We believe that body cameras are important to protect the public and to protect the police officers," said Councilwoman Cynthia Jennings.
Since violent protests in Ferguson garnered worldwide publicity, interactions between citizens and police have left many cities looking to body cameras to show the truth – including several in Connecticut, such as Hamden, Branford and East Haven.
Others, however, believe body cameras are a Band-Aid solution to a more serious wound.
"I think it's a waste of our money. I think we should put more officers on the street and train them to work with our community," said community activist Hyacinth Yennie.
If the measure is passed, the mayor and police chief would seek funding from the federal government. Jennings said that, although the department continues to improve its community policing efforts, there's more work to be done.
"Hartford has not become a Ferguson," said Jennings. "We still have things in place that, where it could become a Ferguson."
Along with implementing cameras and community policing, Jennings said it's important to hire officers who live in the city.
"You automatically have a safer city. You have 200 new officers in Hartford, and they live in Hartford, that's 200 streets that have police officers on them that live there," said Jennings.
For now, the issue has been deferred to the Quality of Life and Public Safety Committee.
