Having the tool is very important, but having clear policies on how and when to use it, how to address privacy concerns (citizenry and police alike), how to make the footage available to the public and interested parties, and how to deal with future technological advances like facial recognition — not to mention dealing with data retention costs, etc. — are just as important as the tool itself, even when given to departments for free.
Taser’s Free Body Cameras Are Good for Cops, Not the People | WIRED
Opinion: Free body cameras may help police, but they come at a cost to civil liberties.
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If police control when and if footage is made available outside their departments, bodycams will, by definition, only favor the police.