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Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley released a statement following the unanimous vote by the Board of Supervisors to approve and accept a $1 million U.S. Department of Justice grant for the Office of Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer to invest in body camera technology. The grant will provide resources for law enforcement seeking to develop and establish the Body-Worn Camera program, digital discovery trials, and an efficient system for use of this important public safety technology. Orange County is the sole recipient in California and only one of three prosecuting agencies in the United States to receive this competitive grant.
This investment comes in the wake of the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC)’s recent findings that suggest Orange County is considered to be one of the safest counties in the state with California voters seeing a decrease in County crime rates over the last 12 months.
“Since day one, keeping Orange County families safe remains my top priority” said Supervisor Katrina Foley. “Right now, residents see decreasing crime rates because we are doing our job as the Board of Supervisors to partner with law enforcement officials to explore and invest in new ways to uphold public safety while holding bad actors to account. I’m proud to support funding that allows law enforcement agencies to continue their work to uphold public safety for every member of our community.”
“I want to thank Supervisor Foley and the entire Orange County Board of Supervisors for their leadership in supporting law enforcement,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “This grant will improve the entire Orange County criminal justice system by streamlining access to Body Worn Camera footage and its delivery as we continue to pursue justice and fight for the rights of victims.”
The goal of the Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program is to advance the development and application of technology as well as promote documentation and the sharing of best practices among law enforcement agencies and prosecutors.
The District Attorney’s office will use funds to purchase additional space in the DA’s Microsoft Azure cloud environment and contract with an engineering firm to assist staff with software updates, transitioning applications to a cloud environment, and tools to effectively manage large volumes of data.
