MARION, Ill. (AP) – A Southern Illinois police department is getting new cameras for its squad cars.

The Southern Illinoisan reports (http://bit.ly/26M35pL ) the Marion City Council has secured a loan for more than $100,000 to buy 29 in-car cameras. Marion Police chief Dawn Tondini says the cameras currently mounted inside squad cars are more than a decade old and frequently fail.

She says it’s an “antiquated system” and that sometimes microphones and video don’t work. In recent months some DUI charges have been dropped because police didn’t have usable video evidence.

Tondini says the new camera system “protects our officers and it also protects our residents.” She hopes the new cameras will be working within the next month.