Denverite: Denver’s police and sheriff departments plan to upgrade their body cameras and replace some with cameras that automatically start recording every time an officer or deputy draws a gun or arms a taser.

On Wednesday, Denver City Council gave initial approval for the departments to spend more than $11 million to upgrade existing body cameras and buy new ones — 2,200 total — with automatic recording capability over the next couple of years.

Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen described the new tech as “critical” to the city council’s safety committee. He talked about law enforcement events that require “immediate and necessary response” by officers and deputies.

“You have to grab your radio, you have to put the car in park. All of these things, sometimes that, you know, hitting that button on the body cam becomes a challenge,” Pazen said.

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