Jacksonville, FL — After six town hall meetings to get community feedback and answer questions, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has announced plans to debut their body camera pilot program the first week of July.
Sheriff Mike Williams held a recap meeting Thursday night at FSCJ about the draft policy that the sheriff's office has just recently released.
He laid out a number of policies for officers and how those policies came about.
Williams says, "We have studied policies from around the country and we have a draft that may change many, many times."
But Williams made a big point of talking about the budget and making sure this is something the sheriff's office can sustain for the long term.
"So, when we launch, we will be solidly grounded in best practices, best pricing, and policy that is sound and reflects input from our officers and the framework for usage and conduct that we require of them when they use any piece of equipment that we issue to them, be that a firearm, a taser, or radio," says Williams.
Williams says the body cameras aren't a magical solution, but called them a great tool for police and a great tool for the community.
He also believes it will enhance transparency with the community and help them build better cases for courts.
Check out the full draft policy released by Jacksonville police HERE.