Three Lorain County agencies get grants for body-worn cameras (UPDATED)

This story has been updated with additional comments from the Lorain County Sheriff's Office. Three Lorain County law enforcement agencies have received a portion of $4.7 million in grants to help create or expand their body-worn camera programs. The Lorain County Sheriff's Office, the Lorain Police Department and the Lorain County Metro Parks rangers will receive funding for their programs. They were among 109 agencies in Ohio that received funding in this year's round of grant awards, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday. The sheriff's office will receive $147,042 to start its program. Lorain police will receive $94,320, or about half of the need that was estimated to start a program last year. Metro Parks rangers will receive $14,188. Lorain Police Chief James McCann said Monday that the money will help his department enhance its program "and get us closer to everyone having their own camera." "Right now, all officers aren't utilizing cameras because it's expensive and we don't have enough," McCann told The Chronicle-Telegram in an email. "Docking them to download and re-charge takes 8 hours, so they can't be used when they are in this process." Lorain police currently have 50 body-worn cameras shared among officers, and McCann said he hopes to have another 50 by the end of the year so every officer can have their own. Lorain City Council approved the purchase of 50 body-worn cameras from Pro-Vision Solutions at a cost of $200,000 spread over the next five years and paid from the city's police levy, The Chronicle reported in December. The new body cameras will sync with the department's existing dashboard camera system, McCann said at the time. Sheriff's spokesman Capt. Richard Bosley said officials there applied for the grant last year. He said deputies have dashboard-mounted cameras in their cruisers but do not yet have body-worn cameras, which this grant money will help purchase along with computer software and digital storage equipment. Bosley said Sheriff Phil Stammitti was grateful to DeWine for making this grant possible. "The grant award will fund approximately 40 percentof the needed equipment to equip every deputy with a body worn camera," he said. "This will enable us to begin the process of implementing a body worn camera system throughout the Lorain County Sheriff's Office." He said the program will expand as additional funding is made available. Bosley said Stammitti "has always believed that the more tools we provide our officers to serve the public safely, ensures also that our officers are doing their jobs properly and that body cameras will also bring more transparency with the public." Deputies have had dashboard cameras in their cruisers for several years. Stammitti "has always stressed training and stated that if our officers are trained properly, and handle situations with the best methods taught, these cameras will exonerate them," Bosley said. "If things are done improperly, it gives us a chance to correct this behavior, if we can, or hold them accountable." Lorain County Metro Parks Director James Ziemnik said his agency put in for enough funding for five cameras and one year of storage. "We're happy. I feel better for our rangers that they're going to have the equipment," he said. While the cameras themselves typically are not expensive, maintaining the programs and storing video raises the cost: The costs of computer equipment, software and digital video storage space can add up quickly, police officials have said. Elyria police do not currently have body-worn cameras. City officials last year formed a committee to determine police and funding for such a program. Avon, Avon Lake, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Vermilion and Welllington police officers already have body-worn cameras. The State Highway Patrol rolled out its body camera program last year, and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction/Ohio Adult Parole Authority recently started a program as well. DeWine prioritized the creation of the Ohio Body-Worn Camera Grant Program in the state's 2022-23 operating budget. The total amount budgeted over those two years is $10 million. There appears to be significant interest in the grant funding: DeWine's office reported Ohio's Office of Criminal Justice Services, which is administering the program, received $16 million worth of requests for this round of funding. "Body cameras have quickly become a necessary tool for modern policing," DeWine said. "With these grants, more than four dozen law enforcement agencies that have never had body cameras before will be able to invest in this technology to help protect their officers and offer transparency to the public." In neighboring counties, the Erie County Sheriff's Office also received $37,189 toward its existing program, while the Medina County Sheriff's Office received $28,268, according to DeWine's office. Chronicle reporter Carissa Woytach contributed to this story. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @daveobrienCT.