GOSHEN – Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler has announced that his office will offer funding to local police agencies and to the sheriff’s office for the purchase of body-worn cameras, and for training about implicit bias.
The funds will be taken from forfeiture proceeds that the DA’s office received from the 2019 “Operation Bread, White, and Blues” narcotics investigation.
Funding will be provided for the purchase of body cams for any Orange County agency that wishes to equip its officers with them.
Hoovler’s commitment extends to the purchase of equipment, but not to its maintenance or storage, or to storage of recorded video.
Town, village or city councils or boards would have to approve the body-cam purchases in advance and would have to agree to provide funding for maintenance and storage. In the case of the sheriff’s office, the county legislature would have to approve them.
The DA will also provide funding for implicit bias training for any interested police agency. That training is designed to expose people to unconscious biases that may influence their behavior; to provide tools to adjust to the influences that unconscious bias might cause; and to eliminate unconscious discriminatory behavior.
Hoovler will also require his staff to participate in similar training, so that police and prosecutors may both address any bias in their professions.
“Transparency on the part of law enforcement and the trust of our communities are essential to what we do in the 21st century,” said Hoovler. “The use of body-worn cameras has been shown to enhance that transparency and trust, as well as to provide evidence and clarity about that happens in some volatile situation.”
Crawford Town Police Chief Dominick Blasko, president of the Police Chief’s Association of Orange County, said the body-cam offer from the DA “is a welcomed contribution to our resources.” He said the cameras “can certainly assist our agencies in increasing transparency and accountability for our personnel.”
Blasko said while Hoovler’s offer is “a great first step, this offer addresses just one area of a complete body camera program.” He said the storage of video footage, privacy concerns for crime victims and witnesses, and the development of appropriate department policies and procedures are just a few of the significant logistical concerns.”
He said those concerns are preventing police and municipal leaders from being able to put the programs into place within their respective agencies. The members of the Orange County Police Chiefs’ Association are committed to bringing the changes needed to be more transparent to communities and to increase the safety and security of all residents and business owners.
“We now call upon our state officials to consider the financial implications of this program and provide law enforcement with the necessary additional funding to support this valuable and necessary initiative.”
Port Jervis Police Chief William Worden said the DA’s funding “will greatly enhance our ability to provide effective implicit bias training for our police officers. That funding will also help police agencies develop effective body worn camera strategies and deployment programs that will increase public confidence and support for municipal policing in Orange County.”
