ENID, Okla. – Police officers in one Oklahoma community will soon have a new tool when they respond to calls.
Following protests around the country, the Enid Police Department began looking at ways to become more transparent.
After the department finished testing body-worn cameras in a pilot program, citizens began raising money to purchase cameras for officers on the force.
On Wednesday, the Enid Police Department announced that it has reached its fundraising goal to purchase body cameras for its officers.
“Thank you to everyone that has supported the Enid Police Department and the body camera project. We have now reached our fundraising goal and will be proceeding forward with purchasing and deploying body cameras to our officers. A special THANK YOU goes out to Gary Young and David Grissett for heading up this campaign as well as all of those who stepped up and devoted your time and effort in this endeavor. Words can not express how grateful I am for the support of the Enid community!” Capt. Bryan Skaggs, with the Enid Police Department, wrote on Facebook.
The department reached its goal of raising $70,000 in order to purchase 28 to 30 WatchGuard cameras.
The Enid News & Eagle says the department will use a kiosk system that allows officers to check out cameras at the start of their shift. That way, detectives and other members of the department can use the cameras on their calls as well.
