The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency has allocated more than $16,000 to the Solebury Township Police Department to upgrade its in-car video capabilities to body cams, reports Doug Gross in the New Hope-Lambertville Patch. 

In announcing the technology shift, state Sen. Steve Santarsiero said, “Keeping our communities safe requires ensuring our local police have adequate resources, including body-worn cameras that increase accountability. These funds for Solebury Township will help the police purchase equipment to help them do their job, while improving transparency and public safety.” 

“The board was eager to include body-worn cameras into the township budget for 2021, and this grant will help make that a reality,” said Mark Baum Baicker, chairman of the Solebury Township Board of Supervisors. “Our township police have been relying on cameras in police vehicles, so the switch to body-worn cameras will be a great asset for the police department and for the safety of our community.” 

According to pbs.org, body camera use by police has been steadily rising in the U.S. In 2013, 33 percent of U.S. police were outfitted with wearable video cameras; that statistic rose to 50 percent by 2016. 

More information on Solebury’s use of body cams is available in the New Hope-Lambertville Patch, here.