Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today awarded more than $4.7 million in grant funding to 109 local law enforcement agencies for expenses associated with launching or maintaining body-worn camera programs.
Of the 109 local law enforcement agencies receiving grants, 3 are in our local area. They are the Portsmouth Police Department ($24,950.00), Scioto County Sheriff ($14,385.00), and Jackson County Sheriff ($46,816.00).
The Ohio Body-Worn Camera Grant Program is part of Governor DeWine’s ongoing efforts to ensure that most, if not all, of Ohio’s law enforcement agencies, have body cameras. In response to a directive from the Governor, the Ohio State Highway Patrol began outfitting troopers across the state with body-worn cameras last year.
The use of body cameras is not mandated in Ohio, and it is estimated that up to two-thirds of all law enforcement agencies in the state have not provided their officers with cameras due to equipment and video storage costs. Ohio’s Office of Criminal Justice Services, which is administering the grant program, received $16 million worth of grant requests for this round of funding.
All qualifying agencies that applied for grants to establish new body-worn camera programs received funding in this round and the remaining funds went to existing programs to upgrade aging cameras, add storage capacity, or hire record-retention personnel. Qualifying agencies that applied but did not receive a grant are expected to be funded through future grant awards.
