Rockford equipping dozens of police cars with cameras

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - The Rockford Police Department will soon have more eyes on the street thanks to a $250,000 state grant to equip squad cars with high-definition video cameras.

The (Rockford) Register Star reports that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board grant will allow the city to equip 38 squad cars with camera systems. That means the department that's used previous grant money to equip squad cars could have cameras in all 125 squad cars by the end of the year.

The cameras used by law enforcement agencies across the country have become an important crime fighting tool, providing crucial video evidence in criminal cases. Just as significantly, they have been instrumental in police misconduct investigations -- helping both to prove officer misconduct and exonerate falsely accused officers.

___

Information from: Rockford Register Star, http://www.rrstar.com