Crime & Safety
Hillsborough To Equip All Police Officers With Body Cameras
Hillsborough voted to purchase 56 body-worn cameras and equipment for a total cost of $242,568 on Tuesday night.
HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Hillsborough Township voted to spend roughly $242,000 to equip all of their police officers with body-worn cameras, as mandated by Gov. Phil Murphy.
The Hillsborough Township Committee passed a resolution on Tuesday night authorizing the purchase of 56 body cameras, equipment, cloud evidence storage, installation and warranty from Watch Guard Video for $242,568 to be paid over the 5-year contract.
The 56 cameras would be enough to provide for every sworn member of the police department if needed.
Find out what's happening in Hillsboroughfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
All uniformed members of the department that have interactions with members of the public will be utilizing the body-worn cameras on a daily basis, according to Hillsborough Police Capt. Dave Fisher.
The department never had body-worn cameras in the past, however, they have had mobile video recorders in all of their marked patrol units for the past decade.
Find out what's happening in Hillsboroughfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"I believe that body-worn cameras will be a valuable tool for our Police Officers. The body-worn cameras will promote accountability and transparency and help foster the trust between our Officers and the diverse members of the community that they serve," said Fisher.
"At the same time, the cameras will also protect the Officers from false allegations that are sometimes made against them and help speed up the Internal Affairs Investigations that are conducted as a result of a complaint or allegation that has been made," said Fisher.
This initiative to implement cameras in Hillsborough comes after Murphy signed legislation in November 2020 requiring all New Jersey law enforcement to wear body cameras, citing the need for increased transparency and in the interest of improving interactions with the public. Read More: Gov. Murphy Signs Body Camera Mandates For All NJ Police Into Law
Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.
Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here. Don't miss local and statewide announcements. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.