Nashville Chief Proposes $50 Million Investment in Body and Car Video Systems

Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson has put forward a sweeping $50.1 million plan to purchase body cameras for all 1,440 of the city's police officers and to install new in-car cameras on 880 department vehicles, delivering on a proposal that was pushed by the mayor.

Anderson made the expensive request at the Metro Nashville Police Department's budget hearing with Mayor Megan Barry and her administration on Thursday, but it’s still unclear whether the mayor’s final budget will fully fund the entire undertaking.

Anderson’s proposal comes as activists in Nashville have demanded the purchase of cameras to be worn by officers.

The chief’s plan, which involves a system that integrates the vehicle and body-worn camera networks, would require 24 new sworn officers and another nine civilian officers, totaling $8.9 million, and another $41.2 million in capital costs to purchase the necessary equipment and other infrastructure. This includes 3,100 cameras for cops to wear, 880 cameras for vehicles, storage capacity, back-up ability for each camera and the capacity to upload remotely, the Tennessean reports.