NR Police Dept. Awarded $148,000 State Grant for Body-Worn Cameras

The North Reading Police Department has been named a recipient of $148,194.98 in state grant funding to pay for the purchase of body-worn cameras for local first responders.

North Reading is one of 32 municipal police departments to share in $3 million in state grant funding offered by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s (EOPSS) Office of Grants and Research (OGR) under the FY25 Law Enforcement Body-Worn Cameras (BWC) Grant Program, which is designed to support the planning and implementation of a police body-worn camera program or the expansion of an existing program by local police departments. North Reading’s grant is the ninth-highest awarded in the latest round of grants, which this year ranged from $1,725 to $250,000.

Former North Reading Police Chief Michael Murphy helped oversee the initial implementation of a body-worn camera program last year, with participation initially limited to himself and three lieutenants.

“I would like to thank the town officials and the North Reading Sergeant/Patrol Officers union for recognizing the great impact that a BWC program will have for both the officers and citizens,” said North Reading Police Chief Mark Zimmerman. “The BWC program creates transparency for our officers and the community that we serve. The BWC will add a so called “extra set of eyes” to provide a better idea of what happens during public encounters with our officers, offering a more complete narrative of what transpired. I believe that the use of BWC’s will prove to be a valuable tool for both the North Reading Police Department and our local community helping us provide the type of service that our citizens expect and deserve.”

“The Select Board, Chief Murphy and now Chief Zimmerman, and I have been working with both North Reading police unions to implement this important program,” said Town Administrator Michael P. Gilleberto. “We appreciate the ongoing advocacy of Representative Jones and Senator Tarr in bringing state dollars to North Reading for both the initial and pending implementation.”

“North Reading’s police officers do an outstanding job protecting the town’s residents and responding to emergencies, often under very demanding and stressful conditions,” said House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading). “Body-worn cameras can play an important role by not only protecting law enforcement officers as they carry out their duties, but also helping them to build trust and accountability with the public they serve. I commend Chief Zimmerman for his successful efforts to secure this grant funding.”

“Police departments are increasingly turning to the tool of body-worn cameras to realize a host of benefits, including the achievement of greater transparency, strengthening public trust, gathering valuable information, and making public safety operations safer and more efficient,” said Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester). “All of these attributes have always been part of the culture of the North Reading Police Department, and it comes as no surprise that Chief Zimmerman and the men and women of the department are once again leading the way to the advancement of this tool, and doing so with the support of Town Administrator Gilberto and the Selectboard. That leadership has earned this grant funding, and I am confident it will make a positive difference for the camera program itself, and the community.”

According to EOPSS, the BWC Grant Program is designed “to improve officer and community safety.”

“The goals of this funding are to improve public safety; enhance community-police relations; foster better accountability for the actions of police personnel; deter inappropriate conduct by police officers and members of the public; capture digital audio-video evidence (for criminal, civil and traffic-related court cases); and to be used as a training tool for officer safety and best practices,” EOPSS noted.