AG Presents Checks for more than $163,000 to Agencies for 100 Body-Worn Camera Systems as Part of Statewide Program to Support Local Law Enforcement
Attorney General Letitia James today presented the Rochester Police Department and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office with checks to support body-worn camera (BWC) programs. The Rochester Police Department received $104,450 for 70 body-worn camera systems and 15 body-worn camera docking stations. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office will receive approximately $59,694 for approximately 30 body-worn camera systems and six body-worn camera docking stations. These funds were provided by the Attorney General’s Capture an Account of a Material Situation (CAMS) program, which is awarding 13 law enforcement agencies around the state with more than $1 million to purchase 891 body-worn cameras and 321 body-worn camera systems through the CAMS program.
“Body-cameras are commonsense tools that protect both civilians and law enforcement,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “They are critical for transparency and accountability, but too often law enforcement agencies do not have the resources needed to outfit their officers. These funds will go a long way in increasing public safety and I am proud to play a role in protecting communities in Rochester and across Monroe County.”
The CAMS program, which was launched in July 2018 and is funded with money recovered from organized crime takedowns carried out by the Attorney General’s Office, provides body-worn cameras and body-worn camera systems to local law enforcement agencies. Body-worn cameras create independent accounts of encounters between police and the public, increasing transparency and accountability and often providing critical evidence in investigations.
In addition to the Rochester Police Department and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, funds have been or will be provided to:
Albany County Sheriff’s Office
Amherst Police Department
Buffalo Police Department
Niagara Falls Police Department
Suffolk County Police Department
Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office
Syracuse Police Department
Troy Police Department
Utica Police Department
Ulster County Sheriff’s Office
Westchester County Department of Public Safety
