Sheriff George Lavender explained his plan to expand body camera coverage to the Ross County Commissioners Monday. Kevin Coleman was there.
Lieutenant Matt Large said the department is almost fully staffed now, with more in both corrections and road patrol. He said they have 56 body cams, and need 14 more.
The supplier, Axon, has come out with a new model, so their "evergreen" contract calls for all the current cameras to be replaced.
The staff use them with all interactions, creating 500 to 700 recordings a day. The videos cannot be edited, and the sheriff says they have protected officers from false claims.
Large said $41,000 over 28 months will cover all equipment, software, and storage. A grant will soon become available, so the department expects to get an extension on the contract renewal to take advantage of it to save the county money.
Hear the expanded radio story, and interview, below. Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture