Federal Grants Will Buy Body Cameras In Wyandotte County, Wichita, Dodge City

The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded federal grants to buy law enforcement body cameras in Wyandotte County, Wichita and Dodge City, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

The grants awarded through the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance are designed to support body cameras as a law enforcement strategy aimed at improving public safety, reducing crime, and improving trust between police and the public.

The agencies receiving the grants are:

• Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., $352,500.
• City of Wichita, $250,000.
• Dodge City Police Department, $45,205.

“Body cameras are a big step forward in our efforts to protect officers and the public – and to build trust between police and the communities they protect,” said U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom.

Nationally, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch Monday announced grants totaling more than $23.2 million to 73 law enforcement agencies in 32 states to expand the use of body cameras. The grants are part of President Obama’s proposal to purchase 50,000 body worn cameras for law enforcement agencies within three years.

The grants, which require a 50/50 local match, can be used to purchase equipment and require that applicants establish a strong implementation plan and a robust training policy before purchasing cameras. The long term costs associated with storing information from body cameras will be the financial responsibility of each local agency.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance has launched a comprehensive online toolkit that consolidates research, promising practices, model policies and other tools that address issues surrounding body cameras including implementation requirements; image retention; concerns of policy makers; prosecutors; victim and privacy advocates; and community engagement and funding considerations. The tool kit is online at https://www.bja.gov/bwc/