New York City police are launching a pilot program to test officer-worn cameras.

Police Commissioner William Bratton said Thursday that the New York Police Department will distribute 60 of the devices to patrol officers in the coming weeks.

Bratton called the cameras “the next wave” and predicted they would become as common as police radios and bulletproof vests.

The commissioner said the nation’s largest police department was moving ahead with the program independent of a pending court order mandating the NYPD try out the technology to help avoid illegal stops of minorities. The order is still under appeal.

One version of the cameras being tested is worn behind the ear. Another is clipped to the front of the uniform.

(AP)