Richmond council approves body cameras, server and police vehicle upgrades

The Richmond City Council moved to equip the police department with body-worn cameras and to update the department’s vehicle fleet and uniforms.

At the Feb. 14 meeting police Chief Chad Burnine requested purchase of 10 body cameras that would integrate with the department’s software and an accompanying server. Council adopted Bill 17-07 amending the FY2017 budget to provide funding for the cameras and server; council then approved the purchase (motion approved 8-0). Chief Burnine later requested and the council approved procurement of a surplus Ford Explorer to be used by the department; the procurement was discussed and approved by the Public Safety Committee prior to the full-council vote.

The department later transitioned to a cooperative uniform vendor after its prior supplier stopped providing service; council approved the new uniform purchase and related cooperative-pricing arrangement to outfit officers with the same uniform style.

Why it matters: Body cameras and supporting server infrastructure are intended to improve transparency, evidence collection and records integration for the department; vehicle and uniform purchases are routine departmental capital and operating items that affect daily operations.

Next steps: Police will integrate camera footage into existing evidence-management workflows and complete uniform roll-out and vehicle outfitting.