Body cameras, more street cameras on way to KCK police

The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department will be able to buy body cameras for 228 officers, thanks to federal grants.

In a news release, Kansas City, Kan. said it has received two grants from the U.S. Justice Department to boost crime fighting and public safety through technology.

A grant of $342,000 will help the police department meet its goal of equipping 228 officers with body cameras. The Unified Government started the process in 2016 with $500,000 to build out the fiber network to download and transmit the video.

Earlier this year, the Unified Government Commission approved an additional $300,000 to begin buying the cameras. The new grant allows the purchase of even more cameras.

The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department began using body cameras two years ago.

A separate $499,402 grant will allow the police to add up to 25 street intersections to the video camera network.

This story was originally published October 7, 2017 at 9:25 AM with the headline "Body cameras, more street cameras on way to KCK police."