There are renewed calls for West Haven police to add body cameras.
On Monday, community members demanded the West Haven City Council take action after the shooting and killing of a young man in the city last month.
“Why do all of our surrounding towns have body cams and West Haven doesn’t?” said Carroll E. Brown of West Haven.
Body camera video from several state troopers captured the moment Trooper Brian North shot and killed Mubarak Soulemane. No West Haven police officers fired their weapons, according to police.
Authorities said before the gunfire State police and West Haven police had unsuccessful tried to get the 19-year-old out of the car, which had been chased from Norwalk.
“We don’t want this to happen again in West Haven. There has to be some kind of proof which at this time we don’t have from West Haven,” said Rev. Boise Kimber of First Calvary Baptist Church.
Kimber is among those calling for the council to take several steps, including equipping West Haven officers with body cameras.
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“I think it protects everyone involved. It gives you a recording of what happened,” said Mayor Nancy Rossi, D – West Haven.
Rossi supports the concept of body cameras. But, she said the city is cash-strapped, with workers not receiving raises, and the technology is expensive.
“We would probably be able to scrape together the money for the cameras. It’s the storage, my understanding is, is a million dollars every single year,” said Rossi.
But some feel cost should not stop a step toward transparency.
“We cannot put this on, ‘We don’t have the money. It is our budget restraints here,'” said Kimber.
The mayor said they aren’t giving up on the issue and they have been looking into grants.
