The grant, which the department learned of Monday, will pay for 200 body cameras and three additional positions covering equipment, infrastructure and management of digital media, according to a news release from Officer Jack Taylor, a spokesman for the Independence Police Department.
One of the new positions will be commissioned, and the other two will be non-commissioned positions.
The department also plans to create a rollout strategy for the body cameras, which they said will allow them to effectively use the technology and follow best practices.
Law enforcement officials said they hope the cameras will strengthen the department’s goals of “transparency, maintaining community trust, and supporting our officers.”
Independence City Council members previously tried but failed in 2021 to pass measures that would fund body cameras for police. As other area police departments have increasingly turned to the use of body cameras, Independence has instead relied on footage from dashboard cameras to document police interactions and incidents.
The Kansas City Police Department said all officers were equipped with body cameras in 2021, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said it was set to begin implementing body cameras in 2022.
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