San Angelo PD and City Council Discuss Funding for Body-Worn Cameras

The San Angelo Police Department proposed moving towards a grant that will pay for a body-worn cameras program Tuesday at the City Council Regular Agenda meeting.  

The initial movement towards the application was available December 1, 2015, according to David Howard, Assistant Police Chief for SAPD.      

In January of 2016, the SAPD was allocated $176,343.75 with the city's match for funding of $35,268.75.

The initial application was submitted on the July 15; however, on July 25,officials were informed that the original city match price needed to be corrected.

Daniel Valenzuela, San Angelo City Manager, explained there were no located funds for the city match portion of the grant, but said since the initial proposal was approved, council will work with the city staff to locate the appropriate funds.

Councilwoman Charlotte Farmer noted that the body-worn camera program would be a step in the right direction despite there being caution of where the money could be located.

Howard mentioned that most police departments in Texas are moving towards body-worn cameras, and that’s what leads him to believe there will be a state-funded program in the near future.  

“This is the trend we are seeing statewide,” Howard said. “These body-worn cameras also help create transparency between the public and the officers.”

Originally, Frank Carter, San Angelo Chief of Police, was set to give the presentation to the council yesterday, but due to the previous agenda item having extensive public comment, he could not be present for the discussion. Therefore, Howard stepped in and explained the function behind the cameras and what benefits come from using them.

The cameras will help document conversations that take place while on patrol, and will be a good evidence collecting tool, Howard said.

“I think this has shown to be a tough year for securing the funding of these initiatives," said Councilman Harry Thomas. “If the police department and city staff can locate the appropriate funds, I will fully support this.”

Thomas said, however, this might require removing funding from other programs within the city to do so.

Currently, Howard said approximately 99 cameras are being requested for purchase with grant funding. This way every active patrol officer can receive a body-worn camera.

He recalled that, on April 23, there was a mandatory body-worn camera bill introduced to the Texas Legislature. The bill got denied, but the Legislature enacted the guidelines of how the cameras would be used on the streets.