Body-worn Cameras Grant Program

The legislature allocated approximately $6 million in grant funding for the Division of Criminal Justice to distribute to state and local law enforcement agencies. This includes $4 million appropriated for the fiscal year 2021-2022 and an additional $2 million appropriated via HB 21-1250.

In addition to this, law enforcement agencies may be eligible to apply for federal funds. Last year the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Board made a one-time determination to make expiring JAG funds available specifically for the purpose of helping Colorado law enforcement agencies comply with the requirements of SB20-217. Body-worn cameras and equipment continue to be an eligible program expense for JAG funding. Agencies will be able to apply for future JAG funding in a competitive process in January 2022. 

This funding is available to help state and local law enforcement agencies pay for body-worn cameras and related equipment, storage, data management programs, warranty, and training.

This funding is only available for state and local law enforcement agencies. It is not intended for private security companies, corporate security, or individual security.

This will depend on how many agencies apply for the shared pool of grant funding and how much funding they request. 

Each agency must submit an “intent to apply” form by September 10, 2021.  The intent to apply must provide the number of officers who need body-worn cameras and estimate agency needs related to equipping all officers with body-worn cameras.

Based on the number of requests and amount requested, we will determine a per-agency allocation that aims to be equitable while ensuring that agencies with the greatest need or greatest gap receive commensurate assistance. 

We expect to announce allocations by September 17, 2021.

Next, each agency will go through a process individually to set up their budget and grant agreements, which they must do before receiving funds. This means the funds will be distributed as agencies meet those requirements and are ready to receive the funds. Agencies must wait until the grant agreements are completed to make purchases.  Agencies must receive and spend the funds prior to June 30, 2022.

Per state fiscal rule, all agencies must have spent the funds and received the goods by June 30, 2022. 
 

State and local law enforcement agencies should submit their intent to apply by September 10, 2021.

If your agency is selected for an allocation, you will receive additional instructions for additional steps required to receive the funding, including an equipment worksheet and formal grant applications. 

No. The grant funds are intended to be used to pay for equipment and systems to enable agencies to comply with SB20-217 Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity and HB21-1250 Measures to Address Law Enforcement Accountability. Grant funds are not intended for personnel costs.

Funding will be prioritized based on need and access to resources.  Agencies that have limited funding and few or no body-worn cameras will receive priority over agencies that have larger budgets and existing body-worn camera resources. For example, a small, rural agency with a limited tax base and no body-worn cameras may receive more funding than a large agency located in an area with a high tax base. 
 

This grant program is intended to help agencies comply, but it is not intended to be the sole source of funding for Colorado law enforcement agencies. Agencies should seek funding through their local budget process and additional grant opportunities.
 

No funds have been distributed yet from the Body-worn Cameras for Law Enforcement Officers Grant Program. However, we have announced the list of allocations. 
 

First, the Division of Criminal Justice determined a meaningful and reasonable amount to cover the cost of each camera requested, and set that amount at $1,100 per camera.  Then staff reviewed the information supplied by each agency to determine whether they already had the equipment and/or already had received a Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) award for the number of cameras they reported as needed in the "intent to apply" for this grant program. Cameras that were already reported as receiving JAG funding were removed from the funding allocation for this grant.  DCJ then allocated $1,100 per camera requested to each agency remaining on the list. After allotting funds based on the number of cameras requested, DCJ divided the remaining funds (approximately $2.8 million) evenly among all 110 agencies that submitted an intent to apply. Thus, every agency that submitted an intent to apply will be allocated a minimum of $25,695.45. 

The amount varies depending upon the vendor selected, quantity purchased, and other factors. In determining the formula for funding allocations, DCJ used an average price of $1,100 per camera.