Porter County police seeking body cams
Bob Kasarda
Jul 30, 2016
NWI Times
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VALPARAISO — The Porter County Sheriff's Department is wading into the national debate over the use of body cameras by seeking to equip each of its officers with the documenting technology.
"We think it's the right thing to do," said Porter County Sheriff Dave Reynolds.
The cameras will better protect both the officers and the public by providing a visual record and verification of what transpires during calls, he said.
The debate over the cameras heated up in the wake of several high-profile cases across the country of alleged police brutality caught on law enforcement and civilian cameras.
Reynolds voiced confidence in the conduct of his officers.
"It's not a secret what we do," he said.
The Hammond Police Department equipped each of its officers with body cameras last year as part of an effort to improve community relations "through improved officer accountability and transparency."
Reynolds' proposal surfaced during a Porter County Council meeting last week when officials from the department appeared seeking to secure the necessary funding from a federal drug enforcement forfeiture fund. The council tabled the request after asking for more information.
Reynolds said he will need between $40,000 and $50,000 a year to equip every officer with body cameras. That price, which includes the hardware, software and cloud storage, could come down after the program is in place.
There is about $109,000 available through the forfeiture fund for the effort, he said.
The department is working on developing policies and procedures involving the cameras, he said, and will be testing out a couple of different types of equipment before choosing a preferred make. He hopes to have the entire proposal together by late August or September to ask the council for funding approval.
The cameras in question are worn by officers on the front of their uniforms and are designed to capture footage of their activities, Reynolds said. All the officers at the department are in favor of the cameras, including members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, he said.
Local defense attorneys have questioned the absence of cameras in police cars over the years considering the large amount of federal dollars that were directed back to area departments for their purchase.
Reynolds, who helped introduce the technology locally as chief of police in Portage, said it was discovered that vehicle cameras did not hold up well to the changing temperatures in the area.
"They kept breaking down," he said.
While some officers initially distrusted the use of those cameras as a form of "big brother" watching, they later came to like them, Reynolds said.
It is Reynolds' hope that each officer in his department will be equipped with the newer body cameras this year.
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