Wilson County committee approves taser and camera spending, hears sheriff warn of staffing shortfalls and grant for armored vehicle

The Wilson County Law Enforcement Committee on an unspecified date approved a three‑year extension to the county's Axon equipment contract for additional tasers and voted to amend the contract to add 15 in‑car cameras, while the sheriff described high staff turnover, a commissioned pay study for the sheriff's department and a recently awarded federal grant for a tactical ("Bearcat") vehicle.

The actions carry budget implications: the sheriff said the taser extension would run three additional years at about $19,900 per year to align with the existing Axon contract and that payment would come from the restricted court security (litigation) fund. The in‑car camera addition — 15 units — was described as costing about $111,000 total over three years (roughly $37,000 a year) and would be paid from the general fund. Committee members moved and seconded the measures and voiced approval during the meeting; no roll‑call vote counts were recorded in the transcript.

The committee heard from the sheriff that the county previously purchased body cameras and in‑car cameras for many patrol vehicles but omitted some categories such as school resource officer (SRO) vehicles and jail transport. The proposed additions were intended to equip court security officers,…