LAPD to install video cameras in 300 patrol cars

Police officials say about 300 digital video cameras will be in place by the end of the summer. While many law enforcement agencies have used video recording technology, LAPD has seen pilot programs go bust as city officials attempted to find funding for the efforts.

For a department that has tried to mend its image following the videotaped beating of Rodney King and a corruption scandal in its anti-gang unit, the cameras could go a long way in restoring trust with some residents still wary of potential abuse by officers.

"This has been a long journey," said Police Commission President John Mack. "This is and has been a very, very high priority for the commission."

The cameras will be installed in cars patrolling the department's South Bureau, which encompasses many of the city's grittier neighborhoods.

Officials say it would cost about $25million to put cameras in all 1,600 of the department's cars. That may be unlikely, at least in the near-term, because the city is coping with declining revenues that already have forced it to cut back city services and lay off hundreds of workers.