U.S. Representative Val Demings presents the Orlando Police Department with funding for next-generation body cameras, during a press conference with OPD Chief Orlando Rolón (left) and Mayor Buddy Dyer, on Monday, April 18, 2022. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
U.S. Rep. Val Demings presented the Orlando Police Department with $1.2 million in federal funding for the agency’s body camera program, one of 10 earmarks designated by the Democratic congresswoman for her district this year.
During a press conference at OPD headquarters Monday, Demings said the department first began looking at body cameras under her tenure as head of the agency from 2007 to 2011.
“We knew over a decade ago that this would be a tool that could help the men and women in blue better perform their jobs to keep themselves safe but also the community that they serve safe,” said Demings, who served as Orlando’s first female police chief during her 27-year career with OPD. “... As I stand here as the former chief, it makes me very, very thankful to be able to be a part of that.”
Last year, the city approved a five-year contract with Axon to purchase 900 body cameras for $6.46 million. The cameras are designed to automatically start recording whenever an officer removes a gun or Taser from its holster, as well as activate nearby cameras on other officers.
The annual subscription cost, which is nearly $1.3 million, includes unlimited storage and covers Axon replacing the cameras after two and a half years to make sure OPD has the latest equipment.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer thanked Demings for her work in securing the funding.
“We deeply appreciate your hard work in doing that,” Dyer said. “... I know that getting that funding is pretty intense — we’ve enjoyed earmarks over the years — but I think it’s important that Congress has the opportunity to know ... the needs that we have here in Orlando.”
OPD Chief Orlando Rolón said the body cameras have “proven to be super beneficial,” in part because the technology allows the agency to activate an officer’s cameras to see what they’re dealing with in real-time.
“The law enforcement profession continues to evolve and technology is playing such a huge role in the way that we provide our services [and] how we serve our citizens,” Rolón said. “The next-generation body-worn cameras have already been very vital ... not only for accountability but also keeping our officers safe.”
Demings has designated over $6 million in federal funds for community projects within her district, including $1.5 million for a new water storage tank in Apopka; $775,000 for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s culinary workforce training program; and $500,000 for the Wayne Densch Center for programs to address Central Florida’s affordable housing crisis.
Earmarks, which allow lawmakers to direct federal funds for projects in their districts, returned in this year’s spending bill after a decade-long ban.