LOS ANGELES — The President of the Los Angeles Police Commission has successfully raised the money needed to equip police officers with on-body cameras as of November 6.
Steve Soboroff revealed that it took 51 days to raise $1.2 million, more than the $1 million he was originally asking for. Instead of looking for public funding to launch the program, he reached out to private parties to obtain the money. Soboroff, elected to his current position as President of the Commission in September 2013, vowed to do what he could to get the funds that would be required to purchase the devices and in a timely manner.
“We need the technology of in-car cameras, complimented or supplemented by lapel/on-body cameras soon,” he said shortly after he was elected. “I mean within 18 months not 18 years!”
A letter unveiled by Soboroff on his Twitter account shows a list of donors who contributed. The list includes significant public figures like director Steven Spielberg, Jeffery Katzenberg, and Bobby Kotick.
The letter also states that the additional funds raised will allow the purchase of more cameras, up from 500 to 600; that the timetable for the implementation of the program was reduced from 18 months to nine months; and that the money is currently being held by the Los Angeles Police Foundation.
The supposed “next phase” of the program is set to start in November, according to the letter, which will determine which cameras will be used. According to the LA Times, Coban Technologies and Taser International are two of the companies vying for the contract.
“What you have done here is a historic and transformative opportunity forLos Angeles and the LAPD,” declares the letter. “We believe it will serve as a model for other cities nationwide.”
Canyon News spoke to Soboroff in October, who stressed the importance of the project. “It’s a big thing for not only safety, but financially as well,” he told Canyon News.
