The Wichita Police Department today announced it will not meet a stated goal to equip every field officer with a body-worn camera by the end of the year. The delay is due to a delay in the arrival of federal aide, a source of funding for a portion of the cameras.
Interim Chief Nelson Mosley said he expects the federal funds will arrive next month.
“Once the funding is available,” said Mosley, “we can move forward with purchasing the remaining cameras.”
The Department has purchased 212 body worn cameras for the Patrol North and Patrol East substations. Those cameras are fully functional and implemented. The Department is planning on purchasing a total of 429 body worn cameras.
In September 2014. the city learned they would receive $250,000 in Federal matching funds for its Body Worn Camera Program. They program is designed to give agencies already using body worn cameras funding to expand their program.
The WPD has been working with the Office of Justice Programs to meet the program’s standards and secure the federal funds. This includes the submission of a body-worn camera policy and financial documents before funding is released. WPD met its obligations set forth in the program in October.