Durbin Announces $1.3 Million in Federal Funding to Purchase Body-Cameras, Support Community Policing Efforts in Chicago Area
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded three Illinois communities $1,323,000 through the Body-Worn Camera Pilot Implementation Program to support law enforcement efforts and improve community policing.
“This funding is an investment in the safety and security of both our nation’s law enforcement officers and the people they are called upon day after day to serve and protect,” Durbin said. “We must ensure that local law enforcement agencies are equipped with the best tools possible to do their jobs well and protect the communities they serve. Today’s grant will help meet that goal.”
Under today’s announcement, the following communities will receive funding through the Body Worn-Camera Pilot Implementation Program to purchase body-worn cameras for their police officers:
- Chicago, Illinois: The City of Chicago will receive $1,000,000 in funding;
- Elgin, Illinois: The City of Elgin will receive $250,000 in funding; and
- Lake County, Illinois: The Lake County Sheriff’s Department will receive $73,000 in funding.
“I am extremely pleased that the Elgin Police Department has been selected to participate in this pilot implementation of the body-worn camera program,” said Elgin Mayor David Kaptain. “Our police department regularly shows its dedication to building community trust and promoting transparency through a number of policing strategies. This will serve as another critical tool in our police department’s comprehensive problem-solving strategy to enhance officer interactions with the public.”
“The Body Cameras will give the Sheriff’s Office the ability to stay at the front of cutting edge technologies. Both the public and the Sheriff’s Deputy will benefit from this grant,” said Raymond Rose, Lake County Undersheriff. “Law enforcement is under tremendous scrutiny in an age where every action taken can be dissected in an instant; this now gives us the ability to both teach and learn while at the same time enhance mutual trust which is necessary for us to be successful in our mission.”
The Department of Justice announced $20 million for a new Body Worn-Camera Pilot Implementation Program in May 2015 as part of a broader effort to expand funding and training to law enforcement agencies through community policing initiatives. Law enforcement agencies from 42 states submitted 285 applications, requesting more than $56 million in federal funding. Today’s announcement awards funding to 73 applications – including three from Illinois – which will support the purchase of 21,000 new body-worn cameras.