Body cameras will start being shipped to ICE offices next week, Maine Sen. Susan Collins says
Collins said all ICE agents will wear body cams nationwide by the end of August.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins said she met Thursday with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for an update after the deadly shooting of a Colombian native in Biddeford, Maine.
Collins says Acting ICE Director David Venturella confirmed that its policy requires at least one ICE officer to wear a body-worn camera when conducting enforcement interactions, including any vehicle stops.
She says that by the end of August, body-worn cameras will be deployed nationwide and worn by all ICE agents in the field.
RELATED: DHS says ICE will ensure agents use bodycams in the wake of shootings in Texas, Maine
Collins, who is the chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee, said that Venturella told her that Homeland Security has awarded a contract to purchase additional body-worn cameras, and that they will start being shipped to field offices next week. She said he agreed with her request to prioritize Maine.
Collins helped secure $20 million for the cameras in the department’s funding package Congress approved earlier this year.
