President Obama asks Congress for police body cameras

President Barack Obama asked Congress for 50,000 body cameras for law enforcement agencies across the country.

It comes after the officer-involved shooting that’s sparked a nationwide discussion on law enforcement and their communities. Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed unarmed teen Michael Brown in August. A grand jury decided not to charge Wilson in the shooting death.

Colorado Springs Police department has been researching body cameras for the past year and a half. Events in Ferguson have sped up the process. CSPD is currently testing five cameras.

Pueblo police are also testing out body cameras. Police will start wearing them in January.

Henry Allen is a former Sheriff’s Office deputy and now the President of the NAACP.

He said it’s clear after what’s happened in Ferguson that things need to change.

“There is a lot of fear and mistrust between citizens and law enforcement,” said Allen.

He decided to start wearing a body camera when he was on patrol at the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office years ago. He said people would call to complain after a traffic stop. He said the camera protected him on the job.

“I would download that tape and I would show that what the citizen had reported was in fact not correct,” said Allen.

Allen said body cameras holds citizens and police officers accountable.

Some Colorado Springs residents support body cameras.

“The camera will help show every body, this is the way it happened, instead of all of these assumptions,” said Ruth Carew.

“I think it eliminates a lot of the doubt on both sides,” said Sean Forrest.

However, there are people who oppose body cameras.

“I don’t think they should have to. I think we should trust our police officers and I think parents need to teach their kids to respect police officers,” said Cynthia Fulcher. “They just don’t get the respect that they deserve and I think it’s sad.”