DC A Step Closer To Body Cameras After Council Vote

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The District of Columbia is one step closer to outfitting all patrol police officers with body cameras after a vote by the D.C. Council.

The council voted unanimously on Tuesday in favor of the body-camera program, which supporters claim is one of the most progressive in the nation. The legislation calls for 2,400 officers to be outfitted with cameras by next summer.

Most footage recorded by officers' cameras will be available to the public under the city's open-records law. However, footage captured inside people's homes or involving incidents of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking would be exempt.

Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser initially proposed that most body-camera footage be shielded from the public. But the mayor supports the revised bill.

AP-WF-12-02-15 1505GMT

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