UG Commission to consider police body camera grant Thursday

The Unified Government Commission on Thursday night will consider a federal grant to be used for training and law enforcement body cameras.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11, in the Commission Chambers, lobby level, City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kan.

Also on Aug. 11, a special meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on the fifth floor conference room at City Hall to discuss the Parks and Recreation Master Plan and the Police and Sheriff’s Operational Efficiency Study.

According to the UG agenda for the 7 p.m. meeting, the police and sheriff’s departments were awarded $102,314 from a federal grant. The Police Department is requesting $60,000 for staff training and the Sheriff’s Department is requesting $42,314 to purchase a truck, ballistic vests and an in-car camera, according to the agenda. The grant would begin Oct. 1, 2016, and end Sept. 30, 2019, and there was no match required for the grant, according to UG information.

Last year the UG turned down a body camera grant, and officials stated at the time that the program’s costs, such as storing photos, would be too high. Since then there has been a request by the police chief to approve the program.

Also on the agenda is a request from three organizations to spend their Hollywood Casino grant funding allocations later.

The extensions are for grants of $24,990 to Leadership 2020; $5,123 to Argentine Betterment Corp.; and an extension for Vaughn-Trent Community Services Inc.

Both the federal grant and the Hollywood Casino grant items are on the consent agenda, which does not require discussion.

Also on Thursday’s agenda:

– The President’s Volunteer Service Award will be presented to Sheriff Don Ash and Lt. Kelli Bailiff.

– The UG will be recognized on behalf of the family of the late Capt. Robert D. Melton.

– Master Plans and Master Plan amendments.

– Land Bank items include four properties to Jose Solis, 3826 N. 37th St., 3814 N. 37th St., 3820 N. 37th St., and 3816 N. 37th St.

There are also four Land Bank transfers to CHWC, which plans to build a single-family home on each lot. The addresses are 1135 Armstrong, 1133 Armstrong, 1131 Armstrong and 812 Waterway.