Police in the St. Louis suburb where a white officer shot and killed an unarmed 18-year-old have started wearing body cameras, according to Reuters.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Ferguson police began wearing the cameras Saturday, Reuters reported.
Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson told the newspaper officers had the devices on during a protest march Saturday, according to Reuters. The march marked the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown by Ferguson officer Darren Wilson.
Jackson said the department was given about 50 body cameras by two companies about a week ago, Reuters reported.
Company representatives offered training to officers Saturday on using the devices that attach to their uniforms and record video and audio, according to Reuters. Jackson said each officer will get one to use.
Michael Brown, 18, was shot multiple times by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, sparking nearly three weeks of angry protests in the St. Louis suburb and drawing global attention to race relations in the United States, Reuters reported.
Law enforcement and witnesses gave differing accounts of what transpired before Brown was shot, with police saying the teen had struggled with the officer, according to Reuters.
Witnesses say Brown held up his hands and was surrendering when he was shot multiple times in the head and chest, Reuters reported.
The discrepancy has revived calls for officers across the county to be outfitted with body cameras to help capture an accurate record of police-involved incidents, according to Reuters.
The policy has the support of scores of law enforcement agencies and the American Civil Liberties Union, Reuters reported. Opponents say the cameras could be an invasion of privacy and deter people from approaching police with a tip.
Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the cameras have been well received by officers, according to Reuters.
"They are really enjoying them," he said. "They are trying to get used to using them," Reuters reported.
The cameras were donated by two video surveillance companies, Safety Visions and Digital Ally, according to Reuters. In a statement on its website, Safety Vision said it donated the cameras in the hopes that they could bring transparency to future investigations.