Nassau County Executive Laura Curran has taken the first step toward exploring the use of body cameras across the county's entire police department.

In an exclusive interview Friday with News 12, Curran said the county is submitting a request for expression of interest, or RFEI. The early initial step will get information from manufacturers on available technology and costs associated with the cameras.

Any plan would still need to be approved by the county's police commissioner, and it would require discussions with the PBA. 

"I think this RFEI is a really good place to start just to take the temperature of vendors and see what the options are," says Curran. "Anything that we can do to be transparent and continue to build the trust...we really have to do it. I am really proud of our police department and the inroads that they have made in building trust in communities. And now we see there is a nationwide movement where we see that this trust is so incredibly important. I am proud of our communities. I am proud of our police department. I believe that we are a national model for how to do community policing. I believe that with this initiative we will become even more so."

Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said in a statement, "There will have to be more dialogue prior to the potential use of body cameras."

As for the Nassau PBA, President James McDermott said in a statement, "The county has contacted the PBA to begin bargaining over the possible implementation of body-worn cameras by the police department. We look forward to negotiations regarding if, or how, that could occur."

When asked if he supports body cameras McDermott said in a statement, "As this is a mandatory subject of bargaining, it would be inappropriate to begin to negotiate the possibility of such a program publicly."

The move comes amid calls for police reforms across the nation. Earlier Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a series of laws aimed at bringing reforms to police departments in the state.

A spokesperson for the Suffolk county executive said in a statement, "We will explore this and other issues as we develop a comprehensive policing plan with community input that is consistent with the governor's executive order."

It could be more than a year before any body camera program is implemented in Nassau.