Michael Burke
The Journal Times
MADISON — State Reps. Tip McGuire, D-Kenosha, and Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, introduced a grant program Monday for law enforcement agencies to purchase or upgrade body cameras. The bill would also provide standards for the use of body-camera purchases under the grant.
“Body cameras have a number of public safety benefits including increasing officer safety, providing evidence for trials, and increasing transparency between communities and law enforcement,” McGuire, a former prosecutor in both Kenosha and Milwaukee counties, stated in a news release.
“However, the upfront cost of body cameras is significant. This program would ensure that any municipality that wants the benefits of body cameras can access them.”
LRB-5787 would create a grant of up to $1 million for law enforcement agencies to purchase or upgrade body cameras. The grants would be outright, not matching. The bill does not set limits on how much one agency could receive; that would be determined by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which would administer the program.
The bill requires that agencies receiving grants comply with best practices for body camera usage, including those prescribed in 2019 Wisconsin Act 108, which Gov. Tony Evers signed into law earlier this year.
“Body cameras are a critical tool that can yield essential insights, transparency, and accountability in encounters between the public and law enforcement officers,” Neubauer stated. “This bill is designed to make it easier for police departments throughout Wisconsin to deploy this technology for the safety of everyone in our community.”
McGuire and Neubauer set a response deadline of noon March 16 for any of their fellow legislators that want to cosponsor the bill with them.
When The Journal Times asked Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, for a comment on the bill Monday, spokeswoman Kit Beyer replied: “While the Assembly’s regular floor session is over for the biennium, Speaker Vos is happy to sit down with Rep. McGuire to discuss his idea.”