In aftermath of fatal shooting, Daly City police to soon receive body, vehicle cameras

Body and vehicle cameras are coming to the Daly City Police Department after the City Council approved the purchases on Wednesday.

The City Council has been considering body-worn and patrol vehicle cameras since 2017, but the city did not have the necessary funding until voters passed Measure Q — a half-cent sales tax for general city services — in the November 2020 election.

City staff say the camera program with Axon Enterprise Inc. will cost no more than $1.35 million over five years.

The decision to purchase the cameras comes after Daly City police fatally shot a San Francisco man last month during a struggle over a suspected handgun that turned out to be a replica firearm.

San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe released details of the April 7 shooting, saying that during the struggle, police shot Roger Cornelius Allen twice, with one shot striking his chest.

On April 29, the city released the names of the four officers involved — Lt. Michael Brennan and officers Rosa Brenes, Nicholas McCarthy and Cameron Newton — but did not specify which officer shot Allen.

Police were not equipped with body cameras at the time and there was no video evidence of the shooting, according to Wagstaffe.

In a statement, Daly City Mayor Juslyn Manalo thanked people who reached out to the city to share thoughts and said she would ensure a transparent city government.

Manalo said:

“Please know that we do hear you and we know our community is made stronger through community involvement. … I also want to acknowledge the work of our city staff for their efforts and commitment. We know we still have a lot of challenging steps to get through in the next few weeks.”