New London – The city could be among the first in the region to equip all of its police officers with body cameras if the City Council on Monday approves a request to borrow $2.5 million for public safety equipment upgrades and public works projects.

The $160,000 cost for the body cameras is a small portion of a $1.4 million bonding request that would provide $663,815 for an upgraded emergency dispatch and computer system, $404,370 for turnout gear and air tanks for firefighters and other assorted police equipment.

A $1.1 million bond request would cover stormwater drainage improvements at Osprey, Guthrie and Greens Harbor beaches.

Risk Manager Paul Gills said he has pushed for the money in part as a way to catch up on pressing needs that were in some cases never included in operating and capital budgets in past years.

“We’ve gotten ourselves in a hole and trying to dig out as quickly as possible,” he said.

Gills said a new dispatch system would improve productivity and efficiency at the department over the 25-year-old system now in place that has “outlived its life span, from a technology standpoint.”

“With the dispatch system, the overriding factor is to help public safety and communications,” Gills said.

Deputy Police Chief Peter Reichard said the proposed new dispatch system and software, made by TriTech, is not only more user-friendly but will easily connect vehicles' computers with those inside headquarters, cutting down on paperwork and duplication of efforts. It also will improve the method of entering information for things like emergency calls and traffic stops.

Gills has long been an advocate of body cameras because of the liability issues they address and calls them “a top risk-management goal of mine this year.” Studies have shown that use of the cameras greatly reduces the number of civilian complaints and improves behaviors of people on both sides of the camera.

At the fire department, Gills said the money will cover costs of much of the firefighting gear that is either approaching, at or beyond its lifespan. He said replacement of at least 20 Scott Air Paks, self-contained breathing apparatuses, was necessitated by recent tests that showed many were out of compliance because of their age. A Hartford firefighter died in October after running low on air and an investigation later determined the tanks failed at least one test.

Representatives from the police and fire departments are expected at Monday’s meeting.

In the case of the public works projects, Gills said a portion of the work, at Osprey Beach, is under a federal court order to rectify deficiencies.

“The fact of the matter is we’ve been kicking the can down the road on this,” Gills said.

Interim Public Works Director Brian Sear said that $1.1 million of the money will cover design and construction of stormwater discharge into Long Island Sound from the Pequot Avenue area.

About $500,000 will cover the city’s 25 percent portion of a $1.97 million Department of Housing grant for design and construction of piping at Greens Harbor Beach. The balance will cover the second phase of pipe construction at Osprey Beach, extending piping 156 feet into Long Island Sound, as well as removal of existing broken piping at Guthrie Beach.

Gills said that in the future, the goal is to inform the City Council when certain budgeted items absolutely need to be funded.

“Certain line items that directly affect the protection of our officers and firefighters, for example, they should be sacred line items and not tinkered with,” Gills said.

g.smith@theday.com

Twitter: @SmittyDay