Yorktown Authorizes Police Body Cameras

June 5, 2024 – The Yorktown Town Board authorized the purchase of police body cameras on Tuesday.

The five-year, $478,495.90 contract with Axon Enterprises includes the purchase of body-worn cameras, cloud storage and tasers. The body cameras are expected to be deployed during the summer.

“In 2021, the Town Board released the Yorktown Coalition on Community Safety and Engagement’s report on the Yorktown Police Department. One of the report’s recommendations was the use of body cameras by our police officers,” said Supervisor Ed Lachterman. “The purchase of these body cameras demonstrates the Town Board’s commitment to transparency and professionalism.”

The report was prepared in compliance with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 203 requiring all local governments with police departments to perform a comprehensive review of police force deployments, strategies, policies, procedures and practices.

The Yorktown Coalition on Community Safety and Engagement arrived at its recommendations after holding six public online meetings in late 2020 and early 2021. The meetings included two presentations by Chief Robert Noble and two listening sessions for community partners.

Dozens of community members attended the six meetings. Topics raised by residents included: civilian review boards, micro-aggressions, the Yorktown Police’s active engagement with residents, body cameras, implicit-bias awareness training, teen intervention programs, de-escalation strategies, lethal force reduction and police policies.

The Yorktown Police operates at one of the highest professional levels possible, as demonstrated by its longstanding status as an accredited police agency by the New York State Division of Criminal justice Services, a status only 29% of New York State’s 540 law enforcement agencies have achieved.