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Commissioners approve sheriff's five-year contract for new body-worn and in-car cameras; staff detail retention and access policies
Summary
The board approved a five-year contract to replace aging body-worn and in-car cameras for the sheriff's office and heard staff explain the replacement schedule, capabilities and public-access rules; commissioners asked about lifecycle and oversight.
The Durham County Board of Commissioners approved a five-year program to replace the sheriff's office body-worn cameras and in-vehicle cameras and authorized the associated procurement as part of the consent agenda.
Vincent Drader, director of technology and emergency communications for the sheriff's office, told commissioners that the department's existing cameras are at end-of-life and that vendor upgrades will make spare parts unavailable after Jan. 1, so replacement is necessary. He described the planned purchase as covering 243 body-worn cameras and 193 in-vehicle units over a five-year contract and said Motorola will replace all cameras at no extra charge in year three to keep the county on an industry-standard replacement cycle.
Drader said the new system will add GPS tracking and live-view capabilities. “The new cameras also give us more capabilities with license plate readers,” he said, adding the live view will let supervisors monitor deputy locations and respond if deputies are in trouble.
Commissioner Sherpa Birkett asked about policies for monitoring and public access. A sheriff's office representative said administrative staff and investigators review footage that requires further investigation and that a new state law requires a court order for public access to body camera footage. The transcript does not supply the statute citation.
The item was part of the consent agenda (listed in the agenda as item 24-0701). Commissioner Burton moved approval of the consent agenda, seconded by Commissioner Valentine; the consent agenda motion carried on a unanimous voice vote in the transcript.
