The nonprofit Philadelphia Police Foundation presented $84,780 to the Philadelphia Police Department to purchase and install video equipment to record investigative interrogations at the city’s six detective divisions and the Special Victims Unit.

Maureen Rush, board president of the Foundation and vice president for Public Safety and Superintendent of Police at the University of Pennsylvania, presented the much-needed grant to Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey.

“Philadelphia Police Department has been behind in terms of technology,” Ramsey said. “This grant from the Philadelphia Police Foundation will result in a giant step forward to finally get all of our detective divisions and the Special Victims Unit up and running to video tape interrogations.”

Maureen Rush, Board President of Philadelphia Police Foundation, and John McNesby, Foundation Board member and President of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #5, at fund-raising reception hosted by McNesby at new and beautiful FOP headquarters in Northeast Philadelphia. Guests representing labor and area businesses mingled with Foundation board and FOP members. Attendees generously contributed to the Foundation’s efforts to support the men and women of the Philadelphia Police Department. “We are grateful to everyone who contributed and look forward to making this FOP reception an annual event on our schedule,” Rush said.

Rush noted that funding of the recording project was just the latest in the Foundation’s efforts to fulfill Commissioner Ramsey’s wish list for important projects, equipment and programs that are part of the Foundations Case for Support 2013-15.

“We are very pleased that our public-private partnership with the Police Department now has successfully funded this important objective. It is not only and important new addition for all police personnel, but also for the public in general.”

Rush specifically thanked Joe Oliveri and Shane Meenan of Tyco Integrated Security, a leading national security integrator, and Larry Sechuk of Macy’s for their effort in securing grants and contributions from their companies specifically for the recording equipment project.

Ramsey said the funding from the private sector. “It would take years for us to be able to get all six divisions up and operational, and Special Victims, because our capital budget for IT is, one, not that significant and, two, we still have other areas that we need to address like mobile data terminals (and) desktops,” he said.

The Foundation’s grant will cover the cost of purchasing the recording equipment, installation and soundproofing of interrogation rooms. The Commission hopes to have the video recording units up and running by the end of the year.

The Philadelphia Police Foundation (www.phillypolicefoundation.org) was established in 1999 by civic and corporate leaders in the Philadelphia region as “A Force Behind the Shield.” Recent contributions from the Foundation to the Police Department have been lights for the Bike Patrol Unit, bulletproof vests, funding for the development of a comprehensive recruiting program, funding for supervisory personnel training, support for the Police Explorer’s program, equipment for the Mounted Patrol Unit, and programs for the Forensic Science Bureau.