Department of Justice Awards Over $800,000 To The City of Aurora For Body Worn Cameras

DENVER – United States Attorney Jason R. Dunn and the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs announced that the Department of Justice has awarded funding of more than over $62 million to provide services designed to protect officers and improve overall public safety. OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and National Institute of Justice awarded grants to law enforcement departments, local jurisdictions, and training, technical assistance and research organizations throughout the United States.

During this round of funding, the City of Aurora received $852,580 for the Department’s body worn cameras.  In total, BJA awarded nearly $20.53 million to 82 law enforcement agencies under its Body- Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program. Funding will enable grantees to improve their capacity to gather evidence and protect the safety of law enforcement officers and citizens.

“Body worn cameras are an important part of policing, both for officers and the public,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn.  “This grant will help make Aurora Police Department better and thus the people of Aurora safer.”

“The Office of Justice Programs stands proudly with the Attorney General and the President in our commitment to the 700,000 sworn law enforcement professionals who selflessly put their lives on the line to keep us all safe,” said OJP’s Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “Bulletproof vests, body-worn cameras, health and safety research—these resources will provide officers the training, equipment and strategies needed to enable them to do their jobs effectively and keep them safe from harm.”

The FBI’s official crime data for 2019 reflects a decrease in the number of law enforcement officers feloniously killed between 2018 and 2019 (43 killed through September 2018 and 32 killed as of Sept. 30, 2019). There was also a slight decrease in the number of law enforcement officers reported accidentally killed in 2019 (29) as compared to the same reporting period in 2018 (33).

Still, there were almost 60,000 assaults against officers in 2018, according to the latest data available from the FBI.

Nearly $23 million will support the training and implementation of law enforcement agencies’ body-worn camera programs. Another $21 million will reimburse jurisdictions for up to 50 percent of the cost of body armor vests, while over $14.8 million will support law enforcement safety and wellness programs, research and services.

In addition, over $3 million is allocated for research and evaluation of safety, health and wellness priorities. These investments include the development of ballistic vests, studies of in-vehicle safety and the evaluation of less-lethal technologies to increase police and public safety.

A full list of the awards, organized under specific grant programs and listed awardees by state, is available online at https://go.usa.gov/xpxd3.

Additional information about Fiscal Year 2019 grant awards made by the Office of Justice Programs can be found online at the OJP Awards Data webpage.

The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.