Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Receives $250,000 Grant From U.S. Department Of Justice For Body Camera Program

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - The U.S. Justice Department today awarded the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) a $250,000 grant to support its body-worn camera program, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden for the District of Nevada. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch at the White House Champions of Change event which honored law enforcement officers and young people who are leading efforts to improve relationships between law enforcement and youth in their communities.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Department of Justice are committed to doing our part to assist local police departments with their policing issues in an ever-changing environment,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “We will continue to support them in exploring and expanding the use of body-worn cameras in order to enhance transparency, accountability and credibility.”

The LVMPD was one of 73 police departments in 32 states to share in the more than $19.3 million in funding made by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs. The grants require a 50/50 in-kind or cash match, and can be used to purchase equipment and require that applicants establish a strong implementation plan and a robust training policy before purchasing cameras. The long term costs associated with storing this information will be the financial responsibility of each local agency.

OJP has launched a comprehensive online toolkit that consolidates research, promising practices, model policies and other tools that address issues surrounding body-worn cameras, including implementation requirements; image retention; concerns of policy makers, prosecutors, victim and privacy advocates; and community engagement and funding considerations. The toolkit is available at: https://www.bja.gov/bwc/.

OJP is also collecting data on body-worn camera usage through surveys of law enforcement agencies.  It is also designing data collection forms for future surveys of prosecutors and public defenders to measure how body-worn camera footage is being used by the courts in criminal cases. For additional information about the BWC Pilot Implementation Program, visit http://www.bja.gov/bwc/pdfs/BWCPIP-Award-Fact-Sheet.pdf.

OJP, headed by Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason, provides federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist victims. OJP has six components: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking. More information about OJP can be found at www.ojp.gov.