Point Beach Police Receives Over $160 K For New Body Cameras

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ – The Point Pleasant Beach Police Department will receive a $163,040 grant to purchase 80 body-worn cameras, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced on Tuesday.

This announcement was made on the first day of a new statewide mandate signed by Governor Phil Murphy back in late November that all uniformed police officers must wear body cameras on patrol. Previously, fewer than half of the law enforcement agencies in the state had BWCs.

“As we work to strengthen trust between our officers and the diverse communities they serve, the need for accountability and transparency in policing has never been greater,” said Attorney General Grewal in a press release. “Body cameras are a powerful tool to help us in these efforts.

"By acting as an unbiased witness to law enforcement actions, they help to safeguard equal justice, while also protecting the vast majority of officers who do the right thing day-in and day-out.”

The Attorney General’s office administered the grant program, with agencies that applied to receive funds equaling $2,038 per camera, which may be used to purchase cameras and equipment and towards the costs of storing footage.