Bowling Green and Bowling Green State University police have received $150,000 from the state toward body cameras.

Gov. Mike DeWine made the announcement on Monday.

The Bowling Green Police Division will receive $122,548.

BGSU police will get $28,776.

DeWine awarded more than $4.7 million in grant funding to 109 local law enforcement agencies for expenses associated with launching or maintaining body-worn camera programs.

“Body cameras have quickly become a necessary tool for modern policing,” DeWine said. “With these grants, more than four dozen law enforcement agencies that have never had body cameras before will be able to invest in this technology to help protect their officers and offer transparency to the public.”

Of the 109 local law enforcement agencies receiving grants, 49 will use funding to create new body-worn camera programs. The other 60 agencies will dedicate funding toward expanding or upgrading existing technology. In total, this funding will help agencies purchase around 1,700 new body cameras, as well as computer equipment, software, video storage, and more.

DeWine prioritized the creation of the new Ohio Body-Worn Camera Grant Program in the state’s 2022-23 operating budget, which was passed by the Ohio General Assembly last year. The grant program totals $10 million over the biennium, with the remaining grants to be offered in fiscal year 2023. Additional body-worn camera funding will also be offered as part of the $250 million that DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly dedicated to law enforcement in December.

“This is just the start of many new ways we’ll be helping law enforcement with state-of-the-art tools and innovative programs to fight crime and protect the public,” DeWine said.

In a June story, a BGPD spokesman said that officers started using the cameras in May. They were paired with in-car cameras.

Thirty-five cameras were purchased at a cost of $125,000.

Much of that amount is for the annual fee for storage of the videos and the cost of redaction software and licensing.

The cameras are attached to the front of the officer’s uniform. They capture views in the direction the officer’s body is facing.

When an officer activates the overhead lights of the police cruiser, the body cameras will activate. The cameras will then be turned off manually.

Officers also can engage the cameras manually at any time, including if they are outside their patrol vehicle.