STATE SENATOR
Cathy Osten
DEPUTY PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE
GETTING RESULTS
- Representing
- Columbia,
- Franklin,
- Hebron,
- Lebanon,
- Ledyard,
- Lisbon,
- Marlborough,
- Montville,
- Norwich,
- Sprague
NORWICH – State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) announced today that the State Bond Commission is expected to approve $146,653 in state funding for body-worn cameras for Norwich police officers when the Commission meets on April 8 in Hartford.
In March 2019, the Norwich City Council voted unanimously to approve $300,000 for 80 body-worn cameras and 25 cruiser dashboard-mounted cameras, with the expectation that the state would reimburse the city 50% of the cost.
Norwich Police Chief Patrick Daley reportedly said at the time that the cameras “provide indisputable evidence of an incident” and are “good for everybody.”
State funding for the police cameras was included in bipartisan votes of the legislature in 2015 and 2017.
“Police body cameras and dash cameras are good policy for police and the public alike, and the State of Connecticut helping local cities and towns purchase this public safety equipment is another good public policy. I was glad to support it and I’m happy to see the state live up to its promise of a 50 percent reimbursement,” said Sen. Osten, who is Senate Chair of the legislature’s Appropriations Committee and Vice-Chair of the Public Safety Committee.