Illinois officials seek company to supply body cameras

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois officials have taken another step toward equipping police officers with body cameras.
Officials are seeking a company to supply 1,000 body cameras and 1,000 patrol car cameras to state and local law enforcement agencies. The Springfield bureau of Lee Enterprises newspapers (http://bit.ly/1LoG8up ) reports the move is in response to a new law going into effect. Jan. 1.
The law doesn't mandate body cameras, but says how they should be used. A state law enforcement board is charged with creating policy for using the equipment.
Under the law, the state would help departments pay for the cameras and training for officers with grants funded by a $5 increase in traffic tickets.
The bidding process is being overseen by the state Department of Central Management Services. Department spokeswoman Meredith Krantz said the equipment would be made available through a joint purchasing contract for Illinois State Police and local agencies.
Illinois State Police spokesman Matt Boerwinkle said the bidding process sets up a framework for the agency to buy cameras in the future.
"This joint purchasing contract does not obligate ISP to purchase body cameras but puts the contract in place if and when the agency is ready to initiate a pilot program," Boerwinkle said.
The equipment is estimated to cost $5.6 million over two years, Krantz said. Representatives of 10 firms were present at an Oct. 29 pre-bid meeting, according to the Department of Central Management Services. Formal bids were due last week.
State Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, said the state grants and the possibility of cutting costs by buying cameras in bulk could allay concerns of local police that the state is passing along costs. Raoul was a sponsor of the body camera legislation.
"One of my goals is to get to the point where you have a good enough funding stream that it removes the argument that this is an unfunded mandate," Raoul said.