CHAPIN, S.C. — Chapin's Police Department now has an extra $70,000. That's thanks to a grant they applied for back in March. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety awarded them the money to use.
It will be going toward improving their current camera systems.
Around $51,000 will go to fund eight new dash cameras, and around $18,000 will fund eight new body cameras.
"We are a small town, so it's important that we seek out grants when it comes to the state and federal level, as we seek to provide funding for our smaller budgets," Thomas Griffin, Chapin police chief said.
The department has eight officers including the chief and captain, so each individual will now be better equipped to do their job.
For example, when listening to a victim of crime, officers' body cams will pick up all the details.
"In the past, officers would take notes and they would try to be as detailed as they can, but when they have the opportunity to go back to their video, review it, get exactly what the victim said in that statement, it becomes extremely important for the prosecution going forward," Griffin said.
Their dash cameras will have software to identify stolen car tags.
Looking back through the history of the police department, Chief Griffin tells News 19 they haven't received a grant of this size before.
They applied for other grants for computers, bullet proof vests, tasers and radios...but didn't get the money for those.