EAST MOLINE, Ill. — A local police department is one step closer to equipping its officers with body cameras.
East Moline Police Department would be one of the last agencies in the Quad City Area to implement body cams.
"There's just a lot of benefits to them," East Moline Police Chief Jeff Ramsey said.
Ramsey said this has been in the works since he became chief in early 2020.
"It was one of my priorities, that I wanted to get body cameras," Ramsey said.
The department experienced setbacks during the coronavirus pandemic and due to the city's budget.
"We were going to get them, we were just trying to find the funding," Ramsey said. "It's an expensive project. We've been in some budget deficits in the past years."
Ramsey hopes to outfit his entire force with the gear. There are currently 35 officers on staff.
"It really is just advancing policing in this day in age in technology," Ramsey said.
Besides body cams, the department has had dash cameras in its squad cars for the last ten years.
"Having the community have confidence that we're wearing these cameras, that they'll be able to see what we're doing," Ramsey said.
He said neighboring departments have noticed the cameras help to sort out issues.
"In talking with some of the other agencies around, their complaints have gone way down."
The body cameras would be funded with money seized during drug crimes. The purchase is expected to cost around $65,000 the first year. It will then be roughly $30,000 for the following four years through a five-year contract with the company Axon.
East Moline City Council will vote on the purchase July 19.
All Illinois police agencies are required to have body cams by 2025 to follow the new SAFE-T Act.