Troy Police Chief ‘ecstatic’ with new in-car video systems for department

By Charles Bolinger

Editor

Earlier this year, Troy’s Police Department received a $61,000 grant. The department used the monies, from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB), to fund the purchase of new in-car video systems for all 11 of the city’s patrol vehicles.

Police Chief Chris Wasser said a grant they applied for in February was approved. “We stayed with the same company,” he explained. “We upgraded to new Motorola units.”

The former Motorola equipment, which was between seven and nine years old, reached the end of its service life. 

The front camera peers through the windshield, while a second one mounted in the rear cabin monitors back seat prisoners. A display monitor in the cabin allows the officer to switch views from interior to exterior as needed. 

Wasser said the transition was seamless and the patrol officers report no issues so far. They praised the better video and audio quality of the new units, which pair with the department’s body cameras. The grant covers the full equipment cost of the upgraded video systems, ensuring that the city’s patrol fleet will remain equipped with reliable tools to support both daily operations and the department’s long-term needs.

“I’m ecstatic,” Wasser said of the change. “We weren’t sure we were going to get [the grant for] them. Now, they’re fully funded.”

The new systems will provide updated technology to enhance officer safety, improve evidence collection and strengthen transparency with the community.