HARRISBURG, Pa. - Mayor Eric Papenfuse will be proposing the use of body cameras for the city's police officers in addition to other potential changes, he said Monday.
He has not finalized any proposals, but intends to make fighting crime a top priority in the city's upcoming budget negotiations, and hopes to have them complete in the fall.
"It has been a violent summer," he said. "That's unfortunate. We're going to have to re-double our efforts. That means getting new equipment, perhaps like body cams or Tasers, but it also means continuing to train our police force."
Papenfuse also said he was leading an internal investigation into the officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of Earl Shaleek Pinckney, 20, on August 7 that is independent of the review being conducted by the Dauphin County District Attorney's office.
"It's just an internal review of the details of what happened, and hopefully it will help us turn it into a learning experience for the police department, how we can do things better in the future, and the chief is on board as well," he said.
The ongoing battle against crime in the city is prompting a greater response from community leaders.
"Within the larger national context, there are serious issues about the relationship between the community and the police," he said. "I feel that we are trying in Harrisburg to make Harrisburg safe and to have the community feel at ease."