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Orlando police phase out dash cameras

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Orlando Police Department plans to phase out its dash cameras in vehicles and rely on body cameras, Channel 9's Ken Tyndall learned.

Orlando Police Chief John Mina said not only is the cutback a matter of money, but that body cameras capture more than dash cameras.

"Across the nation, all the departments are going with the body-worn cameras as opposed to dash cams, because it follows with the officer,” Mina said. "In a perfect world, would we like to have both? Sure. But that's a budgetary cost that we're not willing to do right now.”

The police department has 45 dash cameras, but they’re being taken out of commission as they break down or the cars are decommissioned.

Police said they’ll keep about 10 dash cameras in service for DUI-enforcement patrol cars.

Mina said body cameras also can be adjusted to record a police pursuit.

“If we can save the taxpayers some money, just going with the body-worn camera, which I think has proven to be very, very effective, we'll just stick with that,” Mina said.

The first 50 new body cameras will be rolling out over the next couple of weeks. It will take up to two years to fully equip OPD officers with body cameras; and it could also take about two years for the last of the dash-cams to be phased out.