Alton Mayor David Goins and Alton Police Chief Marcos Pulido announced the grant Wednesday morning.
"Body-worn cameras are a vital tool in protecting both officers and the community, aiding law enforcement by providing crucial evidence in criminal cases, and strengthening community trust in policing," said Goins. "As a retired Alton police officer, and now mayor, I know first hand what a great police department we have, and believe the new body-worn cameras will be one more tool to highlight our officers' professionalism."
The U.S. Department of Justice awarded the $225,000 grant to Alton in partnership with the City of East St. Louis. The grant will provide more than 100 officers in the two cities with body-worn cameras.
For several years, Alton Police have used in-car cameras in every patrol vehicle. But officials said the longtime goal of officers wearing a camera seemed unattainable prior to the grant.
"When the Safe-T Act was passed in 2021 requiring all Illinois police agencies be outfitted with body cameras by 2025, we knew right away that we wanted to be ahead of the curve, and that we were going to need help funding the unfunded mandate," Pulido said.
"I'm proud of my department for locating this grant and for working to secure this funding to relieve some of the financial burden," he said. "Additionally, I'm excited to bring what has now become the industry standard to Alton and to continue to improve our already excellent police services."
Alton and East St. Louis police also will collaborate with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville researchers, who provided grant development support on the proposal, on project evaluation and disseminating best practices to other jurisdictions preparing for the 2025 body-worn camera law.
SIUE Department of Criminal Justice Professor Dennis Mares will be the external evaluator for the project. Additional SIUE faculty and grant and community development personnel will work with the departments to maximize uniformity, increase efficiency, ensure technology compatibility and reduce costs.
"I am excited for Chief Pulido, the Alton Police Department, and every citizen of Alton to enhance transparency of our officers, as well as improve community-police relations," Goins said.
"This project is strengthened by strong partnerships with our sister city of East St. Louis, as well as faculty and staff from SIUE, ensuring that we have support and collaboration throughout implementation," he said. "We look forward to working with local residents and keeping the public informed as we roll out the program and develop transparent, compliant policies for the body worn cameras."
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