Seneca County Sheriff’s Office receives grant for body cameras

Tiffin, Ohio — Governor Mike DeWine announced on Tuesday that the state will provide nearly $4.9 million in grants to local law enforcement agencies across Ohio to assist with costs related to body camera programs.

A total of 112 law enforcement agencies will receive funding through the Ohio Body-Worn Camera Grant Program. Of those agencies, 44 will use the grants to create new body camera programs, while 68 will use the funding to expand or upgrade existing technology.

The grant process solicited proposals from law enforcement agencies throughout the state, and the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services received $11.4 million worth of grant requests. All qualifying agencies that applied for grants to establish new body camera programs received funding, while the remaining funds went to existing programs to upgrade cameras, add storage capacity, or hire record-retention personnel.

The Seneca County Sheriff’s Office was awarded close to $59,000 in funding for their new body camera project.

Sheriff Fred Stevens said in a statement, “Today’s announcement builds on several projects already underway as part of our Seneca County Sheriff Office’s commitment to the safety of Seneca County communities. Since taking office in 2021, our office has launched several initiatives to increase training, improve deputy safety, and increase public confidence in our policing. Many sheriff’s offices and police departments have adopted this technology to improve the quality of policing in their communities. Placing body-worn cameras on deputies improves the civility of police-citizen encounters and enhances citizen perceptions of police transparency and legitimacy.”