The Tampa Police Department is taking bids to eventually equip all 750 officers with body-worn cameras like the one shown in the photo of a Minneapolis officer. Tampa PD is soliciting vendor bids to outfit 60 officers with body cameras, with a goal of eventually providing them to all 750 officers who patrol the city.

Related News: Floridians support police body cameras

A request for proposals, filed late last month with the city’s purchasing department, outlines plans for the cameras, which will be used to keep records of officer interactions with citizens.

The department will purchase the first 60 from a selected vendor and distribute 20 each to the city’s three patrol districts, Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.

The first cameras will be issued to officers on Jan. 1. Each district employs 250 sworn officers who work 12-hour shifts.

The request for proposals states that the department hopes to be able to issue cameras to officers for their individual use.

But the costs associated with maintaining the cameras might necessitate a camera "pool," allowing officers to check out cameras at the start of their shifts and turn them in at the end.

The cameras can cost between $400 and $1,000 apiece.

Among other requirements listed in the request, the selected cameras must be easy to activate during stressful situations, with preference given to models that can be triggered to record automatically. The devices must also be easily mounted to the outermost piece of an officer’s uniform and have the capacity for the recordings to be reviewed in a patrol vehicle.