More Police Body Cameras Coming To South Jersey Departments
TRENTON, NJ (CBS) -- The State of New Jersey has released a half-million dollars to 37 police departments, including 10 in South Jersey, to provide body cameras for police officers.
Seven departments in Burlington County and three in Gloucester County are included in this second round of grants. Last year, 44 local departments in the tri-county area took advantage of the offer. Pair those efforts with putting cams on every state trooper and it's thought about half the cops in New Jersey are now equipped with them.
"I believe we've hit a tipping point where it's only a matter of time where every police department in this state has body cameras and they should," Elie Honig, Director of the Division of Criminal Justice within the Attorney General's Office, told KYW Newsradio.
In fact, he feels those departments that have not yet gotten them will be pressured by citizens to do it.
"There will come a time sometime soon when either you've got body cameras at your police department or you don't but everyone around you does and you're going to have to answer the question why you don't," Honig said.
The state has left it to individual departments to decide if the cameras are a good fit for them, but Honig says the overall response to the offer has been positive. The grants come down to $500 per camera.
The local departments involved in this round of grants include Bordentown, Eastampton, Medford, Cinnaminson, Delanco, Maple Shade and Mansfield Townships in Burlington County as well as Mantua, Wenonah and Elk Townships in Gloucester County.
