New London - The idea of the city's police force wearing cameras while on patrol got a major boost this week with a proposal by President Barack Obama to earmark $75 million for purchases nationwide.

New London's Acting Police Chief Peter Reichard said officers started testing two different types of body cameras last month in anticipation of equipping the entire department as early as next year.

The local initiative began before there were any expectations of federal funding, so additional money would be welcome here, Reichard said. The cost for the cameras is roughly $1,000 per officer, or $75,000 per year, Reichard said, which includes a maintenance agreement and cloud-based storage.

Money, however, is not the only hurdle in deploying the cameras out onto the streets. Union President Todd Lynch said he doesn't anticipate support by officers because of the serious lack of funding in other areas of the department - manpower being at the top of the list.

"We're not against the body cameras. It's a nice thing to have, but it's not a necessity," Lynch said. "We're short on manpower. We're getting ordered in every night. Our computers are in shambles. I don't think we've purchased a car in years. We have a mandate for 80 officers and four dogs … yet it seems we manage to find money for other things."

Lynch said he also thinks the $75,000 a year estimate for cameras and associated costs is unrealistically low.

Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio said he was first to suggest the use of the cameras and will support funding the project while remaining "sensitive to the fact that our top priority in the department should be increasing staffing levels and supporting capital needs."

"This is something that benefits the department, benefits good officers and benefits the city as a whole at a very low cost," Finizio said.

He said the city would look to benefit from any federal grants but even without thinks it's worth the investment.

Obama announced the funding proposal, which needs congressional approval, as part of a $263 million plan over three years to expand training and add resources to departments in the wake of a shooting in Ferguson, Mo., that left a black man, Michael Brown, dead at the hands of a white police officer. The officer involved was not indicted on any criminal charges, but the incident has led to racially charged protests across the country.

The New London department took its first look at body cameras early last year, but stopped the testing following a union grievance. Reichard agreed that the use of cameras would affect bargaining and needed union support, along with a written policy, before it could be implemented. But he said he thinks overall it is another step in helping "move the department forward."

The cameras may at some point become a mandate, and Reichard said the general consensus is that a body camera may have helped shed light on the events in Ferguson.

"It's better transparency," Reichard said. "I think it allows the officer to document on video what's actually taking place … not one version of what took place."

Finizio said use of cameras benefits the community as a whole and assures "good officers would be protected and vindicated in the work they do."

The funding proposed by Obama would pay for 50,000 cameras, and pay half the cost of cameras for interested local and state police departments.

Reichard said video will show if an officer did something wrong and serve to protect an officer against bogus complaints.

It will also serve as evidence in an investigation. Reichard said one of the two officers who volunteered to test a camera recently captured audio and video of the confession of a man charged in an attempted robbery at the Ravi Mart on Bank Street.

Officers are currently trying out two different styles of camera. One is attached to the front of an officer's uniform and the other to a pair of eyeglasses or hat brim. Both are made by Taser International, one of two companies that dominate the body camera market. Exactly when the cameras are to be turned on by an officer and where they will be used is to be written into policy, Reichard said, but once recorded the officer cannot erase or alter the video in any way.

The department recently updated their police vehicle dashboard camera system and is expected to budget more money next year to upgrade Tasers so that all are equipped with the ability to record audio and video. That will cost about $100,000, Reichard said.

Finizio said there would be a full evaluation of the free trial run of the body cameras and expects to move forward with talks with the union.

g.smith@theday.com

Twitter: @SmittyDay