Tulsa police begin field testing body-worn cameras

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – Tulsa police are testing dozens of body cameras and plan to distribute them early next year after facing scrutiny for not already having done so when a white officer fatally shot an unarmed black man in September.

Police received nearly $600,000 last year from the U.S. Department of Justice to begin buying equipment.

Responding officers didn’t have the equipment when Officer Betty Jo Shelby shot Terence Crutcher on Sept. 16, after officers encountered Crutcher near his stalled SUV. Shelby has pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter.

Spokesman Sgt. Shane Tuell said Wednesday that police at the time were developing needed technology infrastructure for field testing.
Tuell says testing should wrap up by year’s end, and the first 40 cameras will be given to officers who frequently interact with the public.