(Photo courtesy of Arizona State University)

ASU officials said 80 cameras have been deployed at a cost of $400 a piece.

Arizona State University police officers have started wearing body cameras. The officers spent the last three weeks learning how to use the equipment, which they hope will improve transparency and build trust within the community.   

ASU police officers have joined the ranks of law enforcement across the state who wear body cameras when out in the field. Chief Michael Thompson said 80 cameras have been deployed at a cost of $400 a piece, which the university paid for.

As for when those cameras go on, Thompson said they'll be used when officers respond to calls for service.

"If we're are making a traffic or some of kind of citizen contact where we feel that it could develop into some type of call or we need to take a report," said Thompson.

Besides learning how to operate the camera, Chief Thompson said part of the training involved studying the department’s policy on body cameras. The policy, which Thompson describes as comprehensive, was put together using policies from agencies across the state and country.