Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The program to outfit Miami-Dade Police Department officers with body-worn cameras has received a huge boost from the Department of Justice.

The DOJ has awarded the police department $1 million, which will be used to buy 500 of the cameras.

That will roughly double the number of cameras for Miami-Dade police officers.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez has wanted body cams on cops since August of 2014.

At a budget town hall meeting, Gimenez vowed he would get the measure past.

However, his announcement came at a time when he was at odds with the police union who was against his budget that proposed  job cuts for Miami-Dade's law enforcement.

Nearly 10 months later, the county commission passed Gimenez's proposal to get the body cams on officers.