KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- A grant of nearly a million dollars will help Kansas City, Kansas police outfit more officers with body cameras and install cameras at intersections.
A city news release states the department will receive $842,000 in federal public safety technology grants from the Department of Justice.
$342,000 will towards the purchase of body cameras.
Police Chief Terry Zeigler said the funds will allow him to buy body cameras for all 228 officers.
He wants officers to wear body cameras for two reasons. First, they can make it easier for officers to conduct an investigation and complete reports. Having video recordings of crime scenes allow officers to review the scene after the fact.
Secondly, Zeigler believes cameras can build trust with the community. He said the number of internal affairs complaints in the department dropped by 52 percent over the past two years.
He explained body cameras hold the public and police accountable when they interact which should decrease the number of conflicts.
“The community is going to say, ‘Yeah KCKPD, we know they're good, but now we have proof they're good.’ That's my goal. I think that the body cameras will help solidify the relationship we have,” Zeigler explained.
The police department will use the rest of the federal grant money to install cameras at 25 intersections. The cameras will supply live video feeds as well as record.
Zeigler said the cameras will target “priority areas.” For example, the department will probably install a camera at Washington Boulevard and Minnesota Avenue to record criminals who try to get away from police by crossing the bridge into Kansas City, Missouri.
The chief said the cameras will prevent crime and give detectives an extra tool to solve crimes. He has plans to grow the program beyond the initial 25 cameras.
“To be able to provide protection we're going to have to be able to use technology. To say we don't want cameras there because we don't want to be videotaped, well if you're not do anything wrong you, don't having to worry about, right? But if you're a criminal, then yeah you probably don't want them there,” Zeigler said, defending the idea of putting cameras in public places.
