City Awarded Federal Funding for Body Cameras, Walking Trails

According to the city of El Paso, "Two significant projects will receive a total of more than $1.5 million as part of the Bipartisan Omnibus Appropriations Bill with the support of Congresswoman Veronica Escobar.

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The funding includes $1 million for the Paso del Norte Trail project and $525,000 for the El Paso Police Department’s Body-Worn Camera Program.

ABOUT THE BODY-WORN CAMERAS

“The El Paso Police Department would like to thank Congresswoman Veronica Escobar and her staff for assisting the EPPD in receiving funding support to fully implement the Digital Video Evidence System,” Assistant Police Chief Zina Silva said. “This 21st-century technology will help the City of El Paso maintain and strengthen accountability, and community trust. A body camera, paired with a mobile video recording system, is an extra layer of protection for the citizens of El Paso, the Police Department, and for everyone across our community.”

The City Council recently approved using $6.6 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to purchase a Digital Video Recording System, which includes 700 body-worn cameras and 410 mobile video recorders.

The additional federal funding from the appropriations bill will help advance the City’s Body-Worn Camera Program, supports the City of El Paso’s Strategic Plan to enhance community policing, to maintain our standing as one of the nation’s top safest cities, while improving the community’s quality of life.

ABOUT THE PASO DEL NORTE TRAIL

The $1 million in federal funding will be used to design and construct a one-mile segment of the larger 68- mile-long Paso del Norte Trail, connecting the Medical Center of Americas area to the El Paso Zoo, along the Franklin Canal.

“This project is part of an important component of the larger, Paso del Norte Trail that, once fully built, will extend from the Texas-New Mexico State Line to the eastern bounds of El Paso County,” said Ben Fyffe, Managing Director for Cultural Affairs and Recreation. “We are grateful to Representative Escobar and the City Council for supporting this important City project which will help further develop a regionally significant landmark that will facilitate an active lifestyle for our community and will preserve the history and culture of our region while supporting economic development and ecotourism.”

The project will be completed in partnership with the Paso del Norte Health Foundation and serves as another example of the City’s commitment to supporting a high quality of life and place for our residents through strategic partnerships and integrated planning efforts."