FILE- In this Jan. 15, 2014 file photo a Los Angeles Police officer wears an on-body camera during a demonstration in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department’s effort to equip officers with body cameras has run up against an unlikely obstacle, the ACLU of Southern California. The civil rights organization sent a letter Thursday, Sept. 3, to the U.S. Justice Department urging it to deny funding for the cameras until the LAPD revamps its camera policy, which the ACLU said is seriously flawed. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) Memphis officials have come under scrutiny after the suspension of the rollout of about 2,000 body cameras that police say were expected to be in use by October.
News outlets report Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland announced the indefinite suspension of the devices Jan. 15, saying the rollout had been hurried and the implementation wasn't well organized.
Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich tells The Commercial Appeal that her office wasn't included in the talks about the timing of the rollout and only learned about it in September, forcing attorneys to write new policies. At that time Jan. 1 was the new target date for the rollout.
Police Director Toney Armstrong, who championed getting the cameras, dismissed concerns Thursday about the delays, which he said are normal on large projects.