Police officer body cameras will be coming to the Tamaqua police department within a month.

At Tuesday night's borough council meeting, Police Chief Rick Weaver asked council to approve an addition to the police standard operating procedures and policy regarding the use of body-worn cameras by officers.Weaver said the cameras have been approved for use by Schuylkill County District Attorney Christine Holman.Five cameras were purchased at a cost of $850 each. The purchase has already been included in a technology package that included police car cameras and license plate readers.That package is part of a long-range program that began with the installation of safety cameras at several of the borough's highest crime areas.Funding through the years has been provided through grants from former U.S. Rep. Tim Holden and the Morgan Foundation.According to Weaver, Pine Grove is the first community in Schuylkill County to have the body cameras and he expects that Tamaqua's will arrive within the next four weeks.Council President Micah Gursky questioned how long the department intended to keep the video generated by the program.Weaver responded that the department was currently planning on 30 days, but it would depend on the amount of computer space it will take to save the video."It could change at any time," Weaver said.Gursky supported the program, but recommended that video of innocent people be handled appropriately and disposed of in a timely fashion.According to the policy, the intent is to "increase the efficiency and integrity of the Tamaqua Police Department's law enforcement mission, increase officer safety, and safeguard the rights of the citizens and employees in the use of such technology."In other emergency personnel matters, Councilman Brian Connely noted the total number of hours logged by the Tamaqua Fire Department last year was 25,170.Gursky noted this was the equivalent of 12 full-time employees.Connely added that the total amount of fire damage for the borough for 2014 was $65,000."Hats off to everyone for those kinds of numbers," said Connely. "If it weren't for the fire department, a group of volunteers, and the police department, we would not be seeing those kind of numbers."Connely also complimented the police department on the recent crackdown on drug activity that has resulted in numerous arrests.Later in the meeting, Mayor Christian Morrison also added his kudos to the police department. "They do a fantastic job," he said.