Avondale is one of three towns in Pennsylvania selected for the state police’s new body camera pilot program through a $52,000 federal grant, writes Pamela Lehman for The Allentown Morning Call.

While many municipal departments across the state have used body cameras for years, state police have had to do without. But it’s still unknown whether all 4,300 state troopers will be issued them.

“It’s great for public perception and it’s a great investigative tool for law enforcement,” said state police spokesman Ryan Tarkowski. “But there are challenges with a department that spans the entire state.”

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He said that state police officials need to tread carefully through issues, including the cost of storing body camera footage, the state’s stringent wiretap act, and the overall cost of the required technology updates in rural parts of the state.

Meanwhile, the pilot program will test their effectiveness for state police.

“We test our bulletproof vests by taking them out to the academy and shooting at them,” said Tarkowski. “If your life is on the line, you want to make sure that equipment works the way it is supposed to.”

Read more about the pilot program in The Allentown Morning Call here.

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