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Peg Koellmer, owner-broker of Realty Seven, said the money for the Realty Seven Charitable Fund comes from the agents, who give a portion of their commissions to the fund to give back to the community.
She said Realty Seven learned that the Wilton Police Department wanted the body cameras and they decided to donate $5,000 to help make the purchase.
"We just wanted to do something for them, and this seemed like a good idea," she said.
In the past, previous donations have gone to the Wilton Fire Department, Wilton Social Services, Stop Hunger Now and Adopt A Troop and other organizations.
Interim Police Chief Robert Crosby welcomed the donation.
"We are not asking for extras in our budget now, the nice to haves, if you will. We are just asking for the bare essentials because we want to keep the budget down," he said. "So we didn't ask for this. And that's what's so nice about this donation -- it kicks us off in a very good direction. It allows us to buy the cameras."
The department tested a body camera last year and saw the value in having it, he said.
The camera helps officers to collect information at a scene, but they also offer an important way for officers to record their interactions with the public and ensure that everything is recorded.
Crosby said it's also one way of protecting officers from false accusations.
Although no accusations were leveled against any officers when a body camera was tested last year, he said someone had claimed an officer had acted inappropriately in a relatively recent incident. However, Crosby said, a camera in Police Headquarters that recorded the interaction between the officer and the person revealed that the officer acted appropriately, he said.
The Wilton Police Department will use the money to buy six Vievu cameras that sell for $899 each, Crosby said.
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