The U.S. Department of Justice awarded $19.3 million in grants Monday to dozens of police departments that want to start using body cameras, including in Orlando and Apopka, but rejected even more applicants that hope to deploy the technology.
The department said grants will go to a total of 73 police agencies in 42 states, helping purchase 21,000 cameras that officers wear on their uniforms to record interactions with citizens. More than 200 other police agencies that applied were passed over for funding.
In all, 285 departments sought $56 million under the program, announced by the Obama administration in May. Four of those departments are in Florida:
- Orlando: $497,480
- Apopka: $43,000
- Miami-Dade County: $1 million
- Pensacola: $64,500
Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Monday that the 73 grant awards exceeded the 50 originally envisioned. She said an additional $1.9 million will support research in Miami, Milwaukee and Phoenix into the impact of body cameras on community relations.
The city of Orlando had approved a grant application for up to $600,000 to help pay for the cameras. The police department's goal is to eventually equip all officers with the cameras, they expect to have 150 by October.
About 50 Orlando police officers currently wear body cameras. The city wants to increase that number to 450 over four years at a total cost of nearly $1.7 million.
- PREVIOUS UPDATE: (June 15) Orlando approves $600,000 grant for 400 new police body cameras
Information from The Associated Press, as attributed to Ryan J. Foley, was used in this report.