SOUTH WINDSOR--While body cameras have become almost standard issue at some police departments, others can't afford them.
The police departments in Putnam and Berlin are struggling with the costs, and have stopped using the cameras.
South Windsor Police, however, have 24 cameras thanks in large part to a generous donation from the Hartford Evergreen Lodge of Freemasons.
The police department has a five-year, almost $26,000 per year contract with the company Taser. Taser provides the cameras and unlimited cloud-based storage for video.
That video storage is what actually costs the most.
Legislators plan to hear about the technical and financial challenges of police body cameras during the next legislative session.
"I know that several towns have said listen we can't do this, there's just too much information that we're trying to capture and store," state Senator Timothy Larson (D), who co-chairs the Public Safety and Security Committee, said.
State guidelines require video to be stored for at least 90 days, or longer if a case remains open, or while a criminal or civil proceedings are ongoing.
