KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Some 120 Jamaican police officers will start wearing body cameras as part of a pilot program to increase accountability.
National Security Minister Robert Montague says the body cameras will provide additional protection to both citizens and police officers.
The U.S. Embassy in Kingston has this week provided 120 body cameras to the Jamaica Constabulary Force. They will be sent to a few Kingston-area divisions and a road patrol unit.
Police Commissioner Carl Williams says he expects more cameras to be made available eventually. But he says "we will not be able to equip every police officer on the front line with a camera."
Human rights activists have repeatedly criticized the high number of killings by Jamaican officers, and residents of poor neighbourhoods regularly protest what they insist are unjustified shootings.
