Police say purchase was in the works even before officer shot, killed Tigard man
Tigard police are in the process of purchasing body-worn cameras for all officers in the department.
The body-worn cameras will include accompanying hardware that will automatically turn them on if an officer draws their gun or Taser. Additionally, Tigard will be replacing all outdated or failing dashboard-mounted cameras in police vehicles.
At a meeting last month, the Tigard City Council approved almost $1.5 million for an upgraded technology package that includes the purchase of 80 body-worn cameras.
Currently, only nine Tigard officers have been issued body cams.
Increasing the number of body cams in the police department has been a priority of the City Council. However, the shooting death of Jacob Ryan Macduff on Jan. 6 by then-Tigard police officer Gabriel Maldonado at a Tigard apartment complex has focused more attention on the matter. Officers at the scene were not equipped with body cams, authorities say.