Following a recent string of police-involved deaths, the Justice Department announced Friday it will provide $20 million in funding for a Body-Worn Camera Pilot Partnership Program.
The Justice Department said the investment includes $17 million in competitive grants for the purchase of body-worn cameras, $2 million for training and technical assistance and $1 million for the development of evaluation tools to study best practices.
The pilot program is part of President Barack Obama's plan to invest $75 million over three years to purchase 50,000 body-worn cameras for law enforcement agencies.
"This body-worn camera pilot program is a vital part of the Justice Department's comprehensive efforts to equip law enforcement agencies throughout the country with the tools, support, and training they need to tackle the 21st century challenges we face," said new Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
She added, "Body-worn cameras hold tremendous promise for enhancing transparency, promoting accountability, and advancing public safety for law enforcement officers and the communities they serve."
The move by the Justice Department comes on the heels of the deaths of a number of black men involving potentially excessive force by police.
The latest incident in Baltimore, where a 25-year-old black man died of a spinal cord injury while in police custody, led to a massive outbreak of rioting and looting in the city.
Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, has called for every police department in the country to use body cameras.
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Business News
June 19, 2026 16:46 ET Major central banks continued to dominate the economic news flow this week too, led by the Federal Reserve, as they announced their latest policy decisions. The Federal Reserve policy session was in focus as it was the first to be led by the new chief Kevin Warsh. In Europe, central banks of the U.K. and Switzerland announced their rate decisions. In Asia, the Bank of Japan drew attention for its policy moves, while data out of China threw some light on the state of the economy.