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St. Louis County police launch body camera program ahead of Ferguson anniversary

The department ordered 700 body cameras and 350 vehicle systems. The first devices will be active when officers assist with commemorative events in Ferguson.

ST. LOUIS — Jana Gamble pulls out and assembles signs Wednesday afternoon, walking them over to the stretch of Canfield Drive in Ferguson where a plaque bears Michael Brown's name.

This is the place where the teen died almost five years ago, a spot where community organizers will commemorate his life and death this week.

"We believe Mike Brown equals change," Jana Gamble said. "That's the definition. And that change can be seen here in Ferguson. It can be seen around the world."

One of the changes actually isn't too far from Canfield Green Apartments. St. Louis County Police employees are rolling out the department's new officer body camera system, adapting the same technology so many other departments picked up after Brown's death.

RELATED: St. Louis County Council approves dash, body cameras for police

"What I really think the public should understand here is, we're equipping all the officers we feel like will have an interaction with the public," Chief Jon Belmar said. "Officers in uniform, in marked calls, that are answering the calls... we're equipping them with these."

Officers can manually turn on the Motorola devices with a tap on the wrist, but they will automatically engage when an officer's weapon is drawn, the officer starts running, and they will even put out an "officer down" alert if the first responder is on the ground for more than 15 seconds. 

The department's ordered 700 of the body cameras, plus 350 vehicle systems, and the first devices will be active when the special response unit helps with upcoming events in Ferguson.

For people close to the Brown family, like Gamble, it's a step towards a stronger community.

"We're grateful to see that little things are happening slowly," Gamble said. "Everything is progressing -- not as quickly as we'd like it to -- but it is."

For a list of commemorative events, visit the Chosen for Change Facebook page.

Contact reporter Sara Machi on Facebook and Twitter.

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