McCarthy offered few specifics at a news conference called to highlight crime statistics, but he made it clear he backs the test.
"We have a number of officers who have volunteered because that's how we're going to handle it initially," McCarthy said. "I endorse the program. I would say within 60 days we'll be up and running."
The announcement comes after a front-page story in the Tribune in September said the department planned a pilot project in a limited number of districts.
The move in Chicago follows a growing national trend and comes amid greater scrutiny after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man, Michael Brown Jr., 18, by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo., a St. Louis suburb.
The cameras — about the size of a pager and typically clipped to the front of a shirt — are intended to capture an officer's interaction with the public on video and audio, providing potentially crucial evidence in any dispute.
The new technology has won early backing among disparate groups that often clash over law enforcement issues, from the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and the state NAACP to the union that represents rank-and-file Chicago police officers and the Independent Police Review Authority, which investigates allegations of misconduct by officers.
