(June 8, 2017) New upgraded body cameras are imminent for police in Snow Hill after the department received a more than $4,000 grant from the Local Government Insurance Trust (LGIT) at a Town Council work session last Tuesday.
Police Chief Tom Davis accepted a 50/50 match grant for $4,128 from LGIT, a nonprofit that provides self-insurance programs for municipalities in Maryland.
“Our equipment is a couple of generations old,” he said. “We’ve been replacing as needed, but I thought it was time to upgrade.”
Davis said he applied for the funding in April, which involved obtaining pricing from vendors. The maximum grant amount is $5,000.
Davis also noted the new equipment will store footage on a cloud-based server.
“It’s costing us more money to repair and replace,” he said.
From his perspective Davis sees obvious benefits to equipping officers with body cameras.
“It’s a great tool for law enforcement,” he said.
“It’s a great evidence collector.”
Davis noted that in dash cameras sometimes capture footage of suspects tossing contraband from vehicles police are attempting to detain that the naked eye might fail to notice.
When complaints surface about police interactions with the public, Davis said video footage provides a clear picture of what actually transpired.
“The general public will benefit,” he said. “Sometimes it’s malicious [and] sometimes it’s absolutely innocent.”
In light of ongoing tenseness between police and communities throughout the country, Davis hopes the continued use of technology can help foster a renewed sense of trust between law enforcement and citizens.
“The word of police officer isn’t like it used to be,” he said. “With these cameras there are no ifs, ands or buts.”
Police Chief Tom Davis accepted a 50/50 match grant for $4,128 from LGIT, a nonprofit that provides self-insurance programs for municipalities in Maryland.
“Our equipment is a couple of generations old,” he said. “We’ve been replacing as needed, but I thought it was time to upgrade.”
Davis said he applied for the funding in April, which involved obtaining pricing from vendors. The maximum grant amount is $5,000.
Davis also noted the new equipment will store footage on a cloud-based server.
“It’s costing us more money to repair and replace,” he said.
From his perspective Davis sees obvious benefits to equipping officers with body cameras.
“It’s a great tool for law enforcement,” he said.
“It’s a great evidence collector.”
Davis noted that in dash cameras sometimes capture footage of suspects tossing contraband from vehicles police are attempting to detain that the naked eye might fail to notice.
When complaints surface about police interactions with the public, Davis said video footage provides a clear picture of what actually transpired.
“The general public will benefit,” he said. “Sometimes it’s malicious [and] sometimes it’s absolutely innocent.”
In light of ongoing tenseness between police and communities throughout the country, Davis hopes the continued use of technology can help foster a renewed sense of trust between law enforcement and citizens.
“The word of police officer isn’t like it used to be,” he said. “With these cameras there are no ifs, ands or buts.”