The Jefferson City Police Department wants to purchase new in-car cameras, as the department has no operational cameras left.
At the Public Safety Committee meeting Tuesday morning, Police Chief Roger Schroeder said the department was requesting $85,000 to be transferred from the police drug forfeiture accounts to help purchase 27 new in-car cameras.
Schroeder said the original plan was to purchase new cameras with funds from sales tax F, but he said there is not enough money in that fund to cover the full cost and in the last few years all existing in-car cameras have broken.
The drug forfeiture funds come from money and property considered to be proceeds of drug activity that are seized by law enforcement. Schroeder said once the items are seized, they go through the judicial process and courts may order the proceeds to be given to the law enforcement agency involved in the initial seizure.
The total cost of the in-car camera system is roughly $175,000.
The committee approved the request, which will go to the full City Council for review.