Fiscal court approves bid for sheriff department body cameras

Did a deputy strike someone? Did a suspect take a swing at a deputy or threaten him?

In the past, judges and juries have often been faced with deducing the truth based on how the two parties retell the story about what happened. Soon they will be able to have definitive, objective evidence about what happened during a given encounter.

The Whitley County Fiscal court unanimously approved Motorola Solutions’s bid for its Watchguard System body cameras for the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department.

The bid came in at $37,257 for 16 cameras with chest mounts, warranty and accessories. Plans are to have the system fully operational by the end of the year.

The 16 cameras are enough for each deputy to have a unit while on shift as well as a transport officer.

Whitley County Judge-Executive Pat White Jr. said that the purchase of body cameras is something that a lot of area departments have made investments in.

“It adds security both for the public and for the deputies,” said White. “I think it will be a positive thing for our county to have these.”

The system selection was made in partnership with the sheriff’s department. The Watchguard System is similar to what the Williamsburg City Police Department uses, said White.

Whitley County Sheriff Todd Shelley said, “I thank the magistrates for getting them. I would have liked to have had them before now, but our budget didn’t have the money in there to get them.”

Both White and Shelley agreed that the body cameras protect the public and the officers as well as serve as a means of obtaining evidence.