NORWICH – The Norwich Police Department will soon be equipped with body cameras following the announcement of a $50,000 grant, made possible with the assistance of Senator Fred Akshar.

“Our community is fortunate to have a strong and supportive relationship with law enforcement and emergency services,” said Akshar. “I want to make sure I do my part as state senator to help strengthen that relationship, increase transparency and give our police and emergency services the tools they need to better protect and serve our community.”

According to Norwich Police Chief Rodney Marsh, the plan is to purchase a camera for each officer in the department, including the Deputy Chief and Chief.

The grant money will cover the cost of the cameras, the associated equipment, and the necessary storage of the footage.

Marsh explained that the cameras will capture both audio and video. The cameras will not be on ‘all the time,’ and the specifics of the policy are still to be determined.

Marsh said the cameras will, “Improve public safety, enhance accountability and trust with the community and provide accurate documentation of officer encounters with citizens.”

“The storage could become an issue at some point, as it has already with some larger departments,” said Marsh with regard to any possible bumps in the road. “Some of that might be addressed within the policy of how long the footage must be kept.”

Marsh continued, “We are currently looking at several different vendors. Once one is chosen, it could take anywhere from to 8-10 weeks for the cameras to be delivered. In the meantime, we are looking at getting some demos to try/evaluate and working on the policy itself.”

Marsh expressed his gratitude to Akshar for his help in securing the funds.