The purchase of body cameras for all full-time county deputies has become a “non-negotiable priority,” Bartholomew County’s sheriff said.
Sheriff Matt Myers stated he will be making a strong case for purchasing body cameras to both the county commissioners and the county council this year. The proposal has the support of every deputy, as well as several citizens and community leaders, Myers wrote in a news release.
“A strong part of public trust is to have each and every deputy wear a body camera and have a car camera to capture all the facts of each exchange with the public,” Myers stated. In addition, these cameras create more accountability for both the officers and the public, he said.
Body cameras can not only provide valuable information after a call to show the facts, Myers said.
Myers concluded his news release by asking local residents to contact their county council representative to voice their support.
However, the council cannot take any action to fund body cameras until a formal request has been submitted by Myers, council member and former sheriff Mark Gorbett said.
When the council met Tuesday, member Jorge Morales said two individuals had already shown their support by sending emails to all seven council members requesting that body cameras be purchased.
Although Myers said he doesn’t want to lay blame regarding why these cameras have not already been purchased, the writers of the emails did not provide the same consideration, council members said.
“There is a misunderstanding in the community about this topic,” council president Matt Miller said Tuesday. “People have been led to believe the county council had refused to fund the purchase of body cameras.”
The request for the cameras was withdrawn by Myers, and not voted down by the council, Morales said.
As council member Laura DeDomenic recalled Tuesday, there were a lot of uncertainties about body cameras in 2017 because they were so new at that time, she said.
There were also information technology issues that were a negative factor three years ago, Gorbett said.
In his original 2017 budget proposal, presented in mid-2016, Myers sought $555,000 to purchase 30 Motorola body cameras, as well as about a fourth of the funds necessary to replace outdated police radios, according to news accounts in The Republic.
But due to technical glitches that developed during a two-month testing phase, Myers tabled his request for body cameras in October, 2016. Two months later, the county used money from its telecommunications fund to finance a five-year, lease-purchase agreement for new police radios, reports state.
During a council work session in April, 2017, Sheriff’s Capt. Brandon Slate outlined a proposal to purchase 35 Axon body cameras manufactured by Taser International, the same company that provides police and sheriff’s departments with stun guns, news accounts state.
Besides the cameras, the proposal included 35 replacement stun guns, unlimited video storage, and a number of related accessories and services. Slate quoted a cost of $248,393 that would be paid over a five-year period, news accounts stated.
But that proposal was presented while the county was financially struggling. A 40% hike in local income taxes would not be approved for another six months — and not go into effect until January, 2018.
In the spring of 2017, council members told Slate the county had more pressing needs such as providing additional courthouse security and staff requested by judges, rebuilding an information technology staff, and new jail expenses caused by a state mandate to house all low-level felons, news reports state.
Myers’ request will likely receive serious consideration when the council begins their 2021 budget talks in August. A final vote on next year’s spending plan is scheduled for mid-October.
The Columbus Police Department has used body cameras since 2015.
