Mentor Police To Get New Body-Worn Cameras

MENTOR, OH — Mentor Police recently received two grants to support purchasing body-worn cameras for officers.

"This is just the start of many new ways we'll be helping law enforcement with state-of-the-art tools and innovative programs to fight crime and protect the public," said Gov. Mike DeWine, who announced the grant distribution.

The Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services awarded the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant, for $37,833, and the Body-Worn Camera Grant, for $53,272, to the Mentor Police Department. The city will purchase 40 Motorola WatchGuard V300 body-worn cameras using the funds, a city official said.

The Mentor Police department has used bodycams since 2018, a city official said. The department has used dashcams since 2013.

The new body cameras will offer longer battery life, high-definition recordings and distortion correction, and will better integrate with dash cameras and other technology, a Mentor official said.

Mentor was one of 109 Ohio law enforcement agencies to receive grant funding through the program.

"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."