WINTHROP — Chief Terence M. Delehanty is pleased to announce that the Winthrop Police Department has been awarded $83,695 in state grant funds allocated by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office of Grants and Research (OGR) Body Worn Camera (BWC) grant program.
The Winthrop grant is part of $2.5 million in state funding designed to increase the number of officers outfitted with body-worn cameras across the Commonwealth, and increase confidence in law enforcement.
“We would like to thank the Baker-Polito Administration and the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security for this generous grant that will increase transparency and accountability,” Chief Delehanty said. “We are excited for the opportunity this program brings and the many ways it will better allow us to serve Winthrop.”
The FY23 Body-Worn Cameras (BWC) Grant Program awarded $2,494,752 to a total of 32 municipal departments across Massachusetts to implement or expand BWC programs. Every department that applied for this year’s grant program received either full or partial funding through a competitive application process administered by the Office of Grants and Research (OGR), an agency that is part of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS).
In 2021, the Baker-Polito Administration awarded $4 million to help implement or expand local police department’s body-worn camera programs as part of a 5-year, $20 million investment in the technology across Massachusetts. This year’s BWC grants represent a continuation of that commitment and will allow 27 departments — including Winthrop — to introduce new body-worn camera programs in 2023, and five departments to expand existing programs.
“With these grant awards, our administration is expanding resources for local departments to expand the implementation of body-worn cameras which are an important tool to enhance accountability, improve investigations and strengthen relationships between police and the communities they serve,” Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement. “The investment we’re making in these programs today will help create safer communities for years to come.”
For the complete list of agencies receiving funding as part of the program, click here.