Grant Funds Body Cameras For 20 Red Bank Police Officers

RED BANK, NJ -- Twenty Red Bank borough police officers will be outfitted with body-worn cameras thanks to a grant from the New Jersey State Attorney General’s Office.

Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced the grant -- one of 21 awarded in Monmouth County and 176 statewide -- on Monday, according to a news release.

The $2.5 million in awards made with criminal forfeiture funds – will support purchases of more than 5,000 body cameras and will put New Jersey in the forefront in the U.S in embracing this technology to promote transparency, mutual accountability, and trust between police and the community, Hoffman’s office said.

New Jersey State Police also are begin equipped with body cameras, with the purchases being phased in over the coming months, he said. The first 100 cameras the State Police are receiving are being used for testing and to develop protocols and training, in preparation for the rollout of body-worn cameras on patrol. The new cameras will complement the mounted cameras in every patrol vehicle, which have been used by the State Police for the past 16 years.

“We clearly are leading the nation when it comes to our efforts in New Jersey to deploy body-worn cameras to promote transparency and mutual accountability of police and civilians,” Hoffman said. “The overwhelming response we received from law enforcement to our offer of funding demonstrates that police officers are embracing this technology to protect themselves, assist them in their work, and foster stronger police-community relations.”

Hoffman also issued a statewide policy designed to promote best practices and uniformity in using the body-worn cameras.