Southaven police will begin wearing body cameras by 2021, according to a report from the DeSoto Times.
The city’s Board of Aldermen unanimously approved a plan for the SPD to purchase body camera equipment.
According to the report, the police department will purchase 95 body cameras and 25 in-vehicle cameras from Axon.
The cameras will be in use by the end of 2020.
Axon creates products including body-mounted cameras and non-lethal tasers for law enforcement personnel.
SPD first received approval to test body camera vendors in January, according to the report.
The department tried out five different vendor in month-long trials before choosing Axon.
Southaven police have previously faced accusations of police brutality.
Last week, a federal judge denied requests from the city to dismiss a civil lawsuit over the 2017 killing of Ismael Lopez in his home by Southaven police officers.
Getting to the facts is what Attorney Aaron Neglia said body cameras will do for future excessive force cases involving Southaven Police Officers.
“They say a picture shows a thousand words, video shows a million words,” Aaron Neglia said.
“It protects everyone and as long as they are on we are going to know the truth and that’s overall what we are asking for in these excessive force cases by officers. What is the truth,” Aaron Neglia said.
Aaron Neglia said in the Lopez case, the cameras would’ve displayed exactly what’s already been determined by investigators with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
“For the Lopez case this would have been great it would’ve been an open and close case we would’ve known the door was shut. We would’ve known he wasn’t a threat and we would’ve known for a fact that they shot and murdered Ismael Lopez,” Neglia said.
Southaven City leaders said the move adds transparency and hopefully will build trust within communities.
Neglia said the cameras will be the determining factor for right and wrong.
“Some families are able to get justice within our court system and other families where there is no video it’s a dragged out process such as the Lopez matter,” Neglia said.