Illustration. Source: Wikimedia commons

Atlanta’s City Council approved a resolution sponsored by Councilwoman Natalyn Archibong that asks U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to put pressure on local police departments to install cameras in police vehicles.

The resolution passed unanimously at the City Council’s Monday, Aug 18 meeting. The resolution was introduced in response to the Aug 9 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missou. Brown’s shooting has touched off days of protests and unrest in the city. One of the problems with the investigation is the lack of video evidence of the event. While many local agencies use dashboard cameras – 61 percent across the country as of 2007 – according to the press release, the police department in Ferguson does not.

“Across the country stories have been reported about alleged police misconduct,” Archibong said in the press release. “Dashboard cam videos often play an important role in documenting interactions between law enforcement and citizens.”

Agencies that use the cameras in at least some of their cars include the Decatur Police Department and Atlanta Police Department. APD spokesman Carlos Campos told Creative Loafing that at the moment all new police cars have cameras installed, and the goal is to use the cameras in all Atlanta police vehicles.

The outrage over the shooting of Michael Brown has reverberated throughout the country. Locally, there was a “Moment of Silence” held in front of the Decatur Courthouse on Aug. 14. Additional protests are planned, like the one being held in downtown Atlanta this afternoon, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

There’s still chaos in Ferguson. Today the governor called in the National Guard to restore order to the city, according to Reuters. To read that story, click here.

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