HUDSON – Body-worn cameras and less lethal devices for the Hudson Police Department are heading to Hudson’s Town Meeting.
Police Chief Richard DiPersio said the department has been “looking into the best possible equipment” for the less lethal devices and body-worn cameras.
“I think it is a good thing for the department and for the community as well. There has been a lot of transparency and accountability in policing, especially in the past two or three years, and I think this is just another means for us to do that,” DiPersio said.
There are two articles on the warrant in regards to the cameras and less-lethal devices.
Article 7 asks Town Meeting members to authorize the Select Board to enter into a multi-year lease purchase finance agreement to acquire and implement body-worn cameras and less-lethal devices for the police department.
A two-thirds vote at Town Meeting is required to pass this article.
The second article – Article 8 – asks that $24,687 be raised and appropriated for the first-year costs to acquire and implement body-worn cameras and less-lethal devices for police officers.
The total first-year cost to include in the lease finance agreement for body-worn cameras and less-lethal devices is $65,137. The police department’s 2023 fiscal year budget, which was approved at Town Meeting in May, had appropriated $40,450 for the body-worn cameras and less-lethal devices.
A majority vote at Town Meeting is required for the passage of this article.
Town Meeting will take place Nov. 21.
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