Project To Cost $1.2 Million
OMAHA, Neb. -- A man who claims he was a victim of police brutality gave Omaha's City Council a piece of his mind on Tuesday.
John Williams said Omaha police officers beat him up last fall. Williams went to court for charges stemming from the incident, but he said a working cruiser camera could have saved him a lot of trouble.
"Oct. 5 of last year, I was approached by two officers. I was pulled out of my car and assaulted," Williams said. "I kept asking them. I was like, 'You guys have that tape. I want that tape.' They told me, kind of jokingly, that there were no more cameras in the car."
On Tuesday, Williams called on City Council members to approve a deal to buy 130 new cruiser cameras for OPD vehicles.
The City Council approved the purchase 7-0.
"I'm very happy that they've approved this purchase and we can move forward," Omaha Police Chief Alex Hayes said.
Hayes didn't comment on Williams' case, but he did address the new cameras.
"It adds credibility to what we're constantly saying. We want to be transparent as an agency," Hayes said.
The Omaha Police Department said the majority of the new cruiser cameras should be installed by the end of the quarter.