A $24,875 donation from the CoServ Charitable Foundation will go a long way in helping set up a state-of-the-art video system for the Bartonville Police Department.
“It’s another step in normalizing our procedures,” said Bartonville Police Chief Corry Blount, who recently was hired for the police department’s top position. “Whether big or small, police department’s need to operate the same way. … Now we’re going to have the same capabilities as other police departments.”
Officer Bobby Dowell, who wrote the grant application, explained the funds would purchase three L3 Mobile-Vision units which will have the capability of being expanded to include body cameras at some point. In addition, the equipment will last for a long time and help the department with chain-of-custody procedures for handling recorded evidence.
“In this day and age, people demand good quality evidence,” Dowell said. “We want to give the DA (District Attorney’s Office) the best possible case evidence we can give them.”
The system will be able to automatically download video from the patrol car as it rolls into the Bartonville Town Hall, Dowell explained, adding that if the car leaves for another call, the system will remember where it left off and download the remainder upon the car’s return.
Bartonville Council Member Jeff Traylor expressed appreciation for the grant, adding that CoServ’s help was very much appreciated in a town that operates on about a $1 million annual budget.
“This grant goes a huge way,” Traylor said. “We appreciate every dollar.”
For details about CCF and its stewardship, including how to apply for a grant and/or make a tax-deductible contribution to the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization, please visit their website.
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