TRENTON - A 2014 law requiring all New Jersey municipalities to outfit new police patrol cars with dashboard cameras is unconstitutional because it does not provide an adequate funding source, a state board ruled Wednesday.

The ruling by the Council on Local Mandates on a challenge brought by Deptford Township, Gloucester County, could relieve stress on municipal budgets across the state. The council did not weigh in on the merits of the politically charged debate over the utility of dashboard and body cameras in improving police accountability.

Instead of dashboard cameras, the law says, officers could wear body cameras. The law applies to police vehicles and officers primarily involved in traffic stops.


Deptford argued that the $25 surcharge on driving-while-intoxicated penalties provided under the law does not generate enough money to pay for the necessary equipment.


The estimated cost of purchasing cameras for the township's 32 officers is $60,000, he said, and that does not include the price tag for storage. The $25 DWI surcharge is "definitely not enough" to cover the overall cost, he said.


"You're talking some serious money," Gubbei said.

The Camden County Police Department, which patrols just Camden City, is paying $260,145 to purchase 325 cameras for officers. The software and equipment needed to operate and store footage will cost an additional $209,000.

DWI convictions would cover less than 6 percent of the cost, Deptford told the council. The state did not challenge those figures or offer its own estimates, according to the opinion.


It sends a "message that when you do knee-jerk legislation, make sure you examine all the costs and what it costs" municipalities, he said.
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