Bloomington Police Department will use funds from a federal grant program to replace cameras on patrol vehicles.
Many of the dashcams BPD currently uses are old and need to be replaced, said City Attorney Mike Rouker.
The city and county were awarded $30,352 through the 2018 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant.
The funds are allocated based on violent crime statistics reported to the FBI over a three-year period.
The city will receive 80 percent of the grant, and the county will receive 20 percent.
The grant can be used to address a range of areas related to local crime prevention. These include law enforcement, prosecution and courts, and drug treatment and enforcement.
The city will use the $24,281 to purchase dashcams mounted to the front of its 25 to 30 patrol vehicles. Most of the current cameras are about 10 years old, Rouker said, and need to be replaced.
“It’s technology, and it runs 24/7,” Rouker said.
The county will use its portion of the funds to purchase tire deflation devices, which deflate the tires of targets trying to evade police.
The city and county receive Justice Assistance Grant funds annually. City council needs to approve the agreement each year because the funding amounts and distributions differ.
“This is a fall tradition,” Rouker said.
The council passed the agreement 7-0-0.
