Peninsula City Approves Police Body Cameras After Fatal Shooting

DALY CITY, CA — Daly City police officers will soon be equipped with body-worn cameras, a decision approved by the city council after officers fatally shot a Black man during a struggle over what turned out to be a replica firearm last month.

During a meeting Wednesday, the council directed the city manager to move forward immediately with the purchase of body-worn cameras. According to the San Francisco Examiner, the Daly City Police Department is one of the last in San Mateo County to roll out the cameras.

There was no video of the April 7 shooting, which killed 44-year-old San Francisco resident Roger Allen, sparking a renewed drive for body worn cameras.

Dozens marched in Daly City last month to demand transparency over the shooting, which is being investigated by the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.

"The lack of transparency and urgency by the Daly City City Council is extremely disturbing," Rev. Lorrie Owens, president of the San Mateo branch of the NAACP, said at Monday's council meeting, according to the Examiner.

In an April 19 editorial, the San Francisco Chronicle raised questions about the need for four officers to respond to a flat tire, and why Allen would wrestle for control of a fake gun with a police officer.

"The full answers to those questions don't appear to be forthcoming any time soon, partly because Daly City police officers don't wear body cameras," the Chronicle's editorial board wrote.

In a statement Thursday, Daly City Mayor Juslyn Manalo said the recommendation to implement body worn cameras was made in 2017, but the city didn’t have the funding to purchase the cameras until Measure Q was passed in 2020 that addressed the funding issue.

“As Mayor of Daly City, I want to acknowledge the challenging times we are going through in our City right now,” Manalo said. “We know we still have a lot of challenging steps to get through in the next few weeks. As your Mayor, I will ensure a transparent City government.”