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Sheriffs office seeks equipment upgrades and cameras amid privacy questions
Summary
Story County sheriffs office asked supervisors to approve purchases including rifle-rated ballistic shields (eight; ~$22,000), a DJI M4T drone (~$11,000), a $38,000 cascade air refill system, sniper-rifle replacements and four new parking-lot cameras (~$14,000); supervisors raised privacy and retention concerns about surveillance.
Sheriff Paul Fitzgeralds staff presented multiple equipment and technology requests at the Feb. 6 Story County budget work session, seeking money for ballistic shields, a drone, a cascade air refill system, sniper-rifle replacements, upgraded cameras and vehicle replacements.
Equipment highlights: field services commander Liz Quinn described an initial request for 23 rifle-rated ballistic shields that was scaled to $22,000 to buy eight shields (level-3, rifle-rated) so deputies could pilot use and training; the shields were justified as a protective measure for patrol. Staff proposed buying a DJI M4T medium drone (noted at about $11,000) to expand UAS capabilities for search, fire response and operations in higher winds; staff said one such drone would be cheaper than some American-made alternatives and would extend capability across existing fleets.
Other requests included a $38,000 cascade air-tank refill system to house at the Mosaic Building for dive and emergency-response teams, and replacement of two late-1990s sniper rifles with modern modular precision rifles intended for long-term use.
Surveillance and privacy: staff reported two Flock ALPR cameras on Highway 30 (initially purchased with a grant) that will cost about $5,000 each annually once grant support ends July 1. Separately, staff proposed four Verkada cameras for the Justice Center parking and driveway entries at a projected $14,000 total to better identify vehicles entering or leaving facility parking. Supervisors raised privacy concerns and questioned how long footage would be retained; staff said retention is currently set at about 90 to 120 days for the new cameras (insurer/ICAP previously recommended longer retention), administrators control who can flag images and that the system only alerts on persons or vehicles previously entered into the system.
Communications and vehicles: staff also outlined communications assets (29 mobile routers, 35 cell phones assigned to deputies, and 18 deployable hotspots) and listed nine vehicle replacements projected for FY27 at roughly $55,000 each with additional changeover/outfitting costs.
What happens next: supervisors signaled they were sympathetic to public-safety needs but will identify required budget reductions later in the review process; no purchases were approved at this session.
