Rep. Kim Schrier, Other Officials Tout Investment in Body Cameras

The Chelan County Sheriff's Office has obtained $660,000 in federal funding for body-worn camera technology.

These investment dollars were secured by Congresswoman Kim Schrier (D-WA) through a Community Project Funding request. Schrier, a career pediatrician from Sammamish, has represented Washington's 8th congressional district since 2019.

According to Schrier, the CPF request process is rigorous, methodical and bipartisan. The congresswoman herself has relatively little discretion.

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"This is not something that I can decide off the top of my head," Schrier says. "It's not Kim playing favorites. We have an advisory panel made up of people from both parties. They review all of our submissions and there are just certain ones that rise to the top - clearly [body-worn camera technology] is one of them."

Schrier was in Wenatchee on Friday to celebrate this hard-won victory. She spoke on the steps of the Chelan County Courthouse. Also in tow were prominent local officials including Wenatchee Mayor Mike Poirier, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison and Chelan County Commissioner Shon Smith.

(Morrison has previously spoken to KPQ about his tempered but very real enthusiasm for body-worn cameras. Click here to read our exclusive from earlier this week.)

"Congress right now is quite dysfunctional," Schrier says. "We did not know if we would succeed in getting a budget passed. And without getting the budget passed, these projects would not have happened."

Friday's event concluded with a show and tell-style exhibition. Schrier donned a gleaming new body camera; attendees could see their images reflected in the camera.

Click here to peruse Schrier's other CPF submissions for fiscal year 2024.