Leesburg commissioners gave their approval Monday night for the city’s police department to apply for a grant to help pay for in-car video recording systems.
The request for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Local Solicitation Grant is for $14,689. It would be used to replace similar-but-antiquated systems in three of the agency’s patrol vehicles. Those cameras are no longer serviceable and are impacting officers’ ability to capture quality audio/video data, according to a memo from Chief Robert W. Hicks.
That data, Hicks pointed out, is crucial to have and can serve many purposes, from being considered as evidence to helping to train officers to administrative review of police actions. Hicks said those all are “vital parts” of modern policing.
If the grant is received, an additional $746 will be needed to complete the project. Hicks said that money is available in the department’s current operating budget.
