Vice President Biden and Attorney General Lynch Announce Over $23 Million in Funding for the Body-Worn Camera Pilot Program

    September 22, 2015

    On Monday, September 21, Vice President Biden and Attorney General Lynch announced in a live broadcast that the Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has awarded over $23 million in funding for the Body-Worn Camera (BWC) Pilot Implementation Program (PIP). The BWC PIP, announced in May 2015, includes $19.3 million to purchase BWCs, $2 million for training and technical assistance (TTA), and $1.9 million to examine the impact of their use.

    The grants build on President Obama’s proposal to purchase 50,000 body-worn cameras for law enforcement agencies within three years. BJA processed 285 applications from 42 states, the District of Columbia, and tribal governments. BJA ultimately awarded 73 grant applications which will deliver a total of 21,000 BWCs.

    The primary goal of CNA, the TTA provider selected for this award, is to build national capacity in support of recommended BWC policy. Specific TTA services to be delivered include:

    • Develop and implement national BWC solutions and standards and provide technology expertise to support program implementation in the field.
    • Engage national experts regularly to help inform program content and set priorities for future direction on assessing BWC PIP effectiveness.
    • Provide analysis and summaries of key information from states’ statutes, regulations, and other programmatic functions regarding BWC PIPs.
    • Develop multidisciplinary coordination and training of prosecution, defense, and other stakeholder engagement activities to support effective BWC program implementation practices.

    In addition to the grant awards, BJA has launched the Body-Worn Camera Toolkit, a comprehensive clearinghouse for criminal justice practitioners interested in planning and implementing a body-worn camera program.

    To view the Body-Worn Camera Program Fact Sheet, please click here.

    To view BJA Body-Worn Camera Toolkit, please click here.