Coventry Police Awarded $350K Grant To Purchase Body Cameras

COVENTRY, RI — The Coventry Police Department was awarded a federal grant worth up to $350,000 to purchase body cameras for its officers.

With the grant, Coventry police will purchase 40 body cameras, a spokesperson for Attorney General Peter Neronha's office said Wednesday.

The grant was part of a $16 million package awarded to 42 local and state law enforcement agencies throughout Rhode Island. Statewide, the grant package will equip about 1,773 police officers with body-worn cameras.

"Today is good day for all Rhode Islanders, as we equip front-line police officers across the state with a helpful tool that will benefit them and the public by assisting critical fact finding and building community trust," Neronha said in a statement. "In an increasingly technological age, where judges, juries and the public expect to see the evidence on which they are to make decisions and render judgments, making body-worn cameras broadly available makes perfect sense. With today’s funding announcement, we have removed a substantial monetary barrier for many municipalities that continuously juggle critical priorities."

Rhode Island adopted the statewide body camera program in July. Neronha and former Rhode Island State Police Col. James Manni, working with the Rhode Island Police Chiefs’ Association, created policies for the use and operation of cameras in police departments statewide.