FY21 BWC - City of Dearborn Heights, MI

The Police Department for the City of Dearborn Heights MI is currently involved in the process of the acquisition  of a body worn camera policy and implementation program for this law enforcement agency. The Mayor and City Council have authorized DHPD to advertise for bids through the request for purchase process. DHPD completed bid specifications and posted them to BIDNETDIRECT.COM. At the time of bid deadline, six bids were received from respective manufacturers.  Research is currently being conducted on each BWC manufacturer for reliability, ease of use, practicality and options by an eight-officer committee This project also involves the purchase of in-car cameras for seamless compatibility with the BWC. 

The City of Dearborn Heights has matching funds in the amount of $250,000 available for the BWC project.

Policy design is also being researched at this time along with training guidelines.  Guidance from the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police will be used as a template for a BWC policy. The policy will follow recommendations and guidelines from PERF, BJA, legal counsel, FOIA laws, citizen input, and the Michigan Municipal League before being approved and implemented. 

The eight-officer committee will conduct detailed research on each product and its capabilities. Eventually, the six manufacturers will be narrowed down to two. Patrol officer volunteers will be selected to participate in trial implementation. The use, operation and capabilities of each camera will then be scrutinized further by the committee. Once the committee finalizes a decision, DHPD will continue to secure funding until the project can move forward.

DHPD is requesting funding for 86 BWC and 40 in-car cameras as well as the necessary, licensing, storage and retention costs to support this program. DHPD requests $2,000 per camera be awarded from BJA COPS for a grant total of $172,000.
Once implemented, DHPD will adhere to all reporting measures as required by COPS>