President Trump wants to end the Justice Department’s program for researching the effects of body cameras on police officers.
The $5 million program is among 11 grant programs on the chopping block in the Justice Department’s 2018 budget proposal.
The Body-Worn Camera Research and Statistics program was launched in 2015 as a 24-month program as part of former President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing as a means to better relations between law enforcement and communities.
The Justice Department says it is being cut to “redirect funding toward higher-priority investments related to combating violent crime and promoting officer safety.”
In September, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced it was giving $20 million to police departments in 32 states for body-worn cameras. That money is doled out in Byrne JAG grants and will not be touched
