Mayor Martin J. Walsh has put aside $2 million in next year’s budget proposal to fund a police body camera program — a measure that could allow the city to begin implementation as soon as July.

The mayor, in an interview last week, said the city may roll out the body cameras in stages, until more can be learned from a Northeastern University study on the city’s one-year pilot program. That report is expected by June

But Walsh said the funding is intended to start the process, district by district, of putting the cameras in place — part of an overall initiative in the city’s spending plan to improve technology and boost resources in the Boston Police Department. City officials have previously said it could cost $6 million to immediately implement a program citywide.

“This is the beginning of that program, in here [the budget],’’ the mayor said. “I think it’s important we take the next step, as far as making the investment.’’

The announcement was the centerpiece of Walsh’s spending priorities for public safety for the fiscal year that begins July 1. His administration plans to file the budget this week with the City Council, who will review it and make suggestions before agreeing on a final spending plan in June.

City Council President Andrea Campbell, praising the investment in a body camera program, said in a prepared statement that, “This budget reflects a strong commitment to improving public safety in our neighborhoods, and equipping our law enforcement with the tools and technology they need to successfully keep our neighborhoods safe.’’

The mayor said the budget builds upon investments his administration has made in the last several years to marry police work with health and human services programs, to not only address crime but also to work to deter it.

“It’s looking at how do we reduce arrests and increase services, and we’re seeing a reflection of that,’’ the mayor said, pointing out that overall crime in the city has dropped, though the city’s murder rate is slightly above the rate at this time last year.

Public safety accounts for the second largest item in the city’s roughly $3 billion budget, behind education (which makes up 40 percent). The mayor said he will increase funding for police by another $14.6 million.

In total, that represents 10 percent of the overall increase of $137 million in city spending over last year.

New police funding will include more than $1 million for the hiring of at least 30 new police officers, after accounting for attrition, bringing the department’s staffing total to more than 2,200 officers — the most the department has employed in more than 10 years, city officials said.

While welcoming the other investments, in technology and other resources, Police Commissioner William Evans said the increase in police officers will have the greatest effect on Boston police.

“The city is growing, whether it’s the South End, the Seaport, all around, and (more officers) just helps us’’ boost police presence in the city, Evans said.

Walsh also said the city will invest in school safety and health and human service programs to assist police.

His proposal would increase spending from $3 million to $5 million for school security, by upgrading doors and locks, intercoms, and camera systems. Some schools don’t even have locks, the mayor said.

The city also plans to invest another $100,000 in its street workers program — because, officials said, private funding for the program is expiring — to maintain a contingent of 41 street workers. Street workers are known as community workers who interact with residents on a regular basis, especially in areas prone to violence. Marty Martinez, the city’s chief of health and humans services, said the city also plans to revamp the program so that it better interacts with police and community members.

Walsh said the focus on preventative programs, including in schools, reflects the realization that police and education officials need to be prepared for the type of school violence recently seen in Parkland, Fla. The city had already announced it would direct $2.4 million for additional nurses, psychologists, and social workers for schools.

“It’s trying to prevent something so we’re not reacting,’’ the mayor said, saying the city was already looking at making such an investment but, “clearly, Parkland fast-tracked this [funding] on us.’’

The mayor added, “Let’s get ahead of the situation, rather than make investments after something happens tragically.’’

Walsh and Evans also pointed out investments in new technology as a critical law enforcement initiative. The commissioner said police officers could soon be equipped with iPhones that will allow them to tap into city databases more quickly. Moreover, another $2 million will be spent on surveillance cameras in the city’s public housing complexes, to assist law enforcement in monitoring crime.

Walsh said he will await the final report of the one-year body camera pilot program — which found after a preliminary review that officers who wore body cameras were less likely to have complaints of wrongdoing filed against them — before making a final decision on how to expand the program in Boston.

Community supporters of body cameras have hailed the mayor’s increasing willingness to implement the program in the next fiscal year, saying city officials and residents have already debated the issue for several years. They encouraged the mayor to incorporate the same policies that were put in place, with community input, when the pilot program began, in 2016.

That way the new program, with new funding, can be implemented immediately, said Segun Idowu, a cofounder of the Boston Police Camera Action Team, who embraced the mayor’s commitment to funding but said he had not seen the plan.

“The conversation has been had,’’ he said, praising the administration for “listening to the people, and making that effort, and investment.’’

Milton J. Valencia can be reached at milton.valencia@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @miltonvalencia.