The Bayonne and Kearny Police Departments received $90,000 and $12,000 grants, respectively, from the state to go towards purchasing body cameras, New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino announced. 
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“We’ve made positive police-community relations a top priority in New Jersey through policies and programs that have been embraced by law enforcement and community stakeholders alike, including our efforts to promote the use of body cameras by police,” Porrino said in a statement.
“This new round of funding for body cameras will keep New Jersey in the vanguard nationally in using this technology, which promotes transparency in policing while protecting officers in their difficult and dangerous jobs.”
Bayonne police received a $90,000 grant, which will be good for 180 cameras – the largest grant among the 37 departments that received funding – while Kearny police were issued $12,000 for 24 cameras.
This round of grants is being provided using funds from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program, according to the AG’s office.
JAG funds are appropriated by Congress to the U.S. Department of Justice to assist states and local units of government in carrying out programs to prevent and control crime and to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system.
In July 2015, Governor Christie and the Attorney General’s Office announced a total of $4 million in funding for body cameras using criminal forfeiture funds.
They announced $1.5 million in funding to fully equip the New Jersey State Police with body cameras for every officer conducting patrol duties, as well as $2.5 million in grant funding that was awarded to 176 police departments for the purchase of more than 5,000 cameras.
