U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces $300,000 D.O.J. Grant To V.I.P.D. For Body-Worn Cameras

United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced on Friday that the Virgin Islands Police Department received a $300,000 grant as part of the Department of Justice’s Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program. D.O.J.’s Bureau of Justice Assistance awarded more than $12.2 million to 75 law enforcement agencies to support implementation and expansion of comprehensive body-worn camera programs.

The funding will enable law enforcement agencies to improve their capacity to collect evidence and protect the safety of law enforcement officers and citizens, according to the release.

“The Body-Worn Camera (BWC) program is designed to implement the Department’s priority of supporting America’s law enforcement by providing the necessary technical assistance so that police officers can do their jobs more effectively,” Shappert said. “Body-worn cameras are important investigative tools in the law enforcement toolbox.”

According to the release, the intent of the program is to help agencies develop, implement, and evaluate a BWC program as one tool in a law enforcement agency’s comprehensive problem solving approach to enhance officer safety and build community trust.

Elements of such an approach include: implementation of a BWC program developed in a planned and phased approach; implementation of appropriate privacy policies; implementation of operational procedures and tracking mechanisms; training of local officers, administrators, and associated agencies that require access to digital multimedia evidence; and the adoption of practices and deployment of BWC programs appropriately addressing operational requirements, according to the release.

For a complete list of individual grant programs, amounts awarded, and the jurisdictions that will receive funding, visit https://go.usa.gov/xPUfH. Additional information about Fiscal Year 2018 OJP grant awards can be found online at https://go.usa.gov/xnqk5.