CROTHERSVILLE
Of the Crothersville Police Department’s seven Wolfcom Vision body cameras, two don’t work, and five won’t hold charge.
Chief Matt Browning said the company has discontinued the five-year-old body cameras, and they can no longer be serviced due to no parts being made for them.
He recently asked the Crothersville Town Council’s permission to purchase new body cameras, not only because of their condition but because a legislative bill being proposed would require state law enforcement agencies to provide dashboard and body cameras for officers.
During a recent meeting, the council unanimously approved the spending request.
“We’ve got to get something done because the ones we’ve got are done for,” council President Danieta Foster said. “By July when everybody starts buying them all at one time, there will be a long wait time.”
State District 2 Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, authored House Bill 1284, which was read for the first time Jan. 14 and has been referred to the Committee on Veterans Affairs and Public Safety.
If the bill is approved in July, law enforcement training boards would have to adopt the rules no later than July 1, 2022, governing the use and maintenance of body cameras and onboard recorders by the law enforcement agencies. That would allow the board to adopt emergency rules regarding the devices.
“I feel it’s just a matter of time before every department will be required to have them,” Browning said.
Browning is moving forward with purchasing the Wolfcom Halo six-man complete package. The council agreed with his recommendation of the five-year promo priced at $14,064.62 that provides six body cameras the first year and another six cameras the third year. They come with a two-year warranty, and the money will come out of the police budget.
The package also includes an eight-man docking port (one-year warranty); an on-premises work station (warranty three-year onsite service); an LCD screen with keyboard and mouse; an evidence management system; unlimited video redaction, noncamera users fee and technical support; software updates and maintenance; and video tutorials and remote training.
“It comes complete with onsite storage for all of the video files, and we can take our dash cam videos and upload them to the storage server, as well,” Browning said. “Once the camera is placed in the docking station, the videos will automatically upload into the system as well as charge the cameras.”
Clips for the cameras aren’t included and will need to be purchased separately. They cost $35 apiece.
Crothersville currently has four dash cam systems from 10-8 Video. Two have been installed in police vehicles, and the other two will be installed in the coming weeks, Browning said.
“This system has two cameras with it as well as a mic that officers carry on them to record voice while interacting with subjects,” he said. “We have had them for a few months and have been using them and learning the functions of them.”
So far, Browning said the cameras have made a positive impact.
“We are able to review the footage while typing case reports and make sure all the information is in the report,” he said. “We also submit the videos with the report to the prosecutor’s office. The cameras also provide accountability for officers as well as the public. If an officer receives a complaint from an interaction, I can review their camera footage to confirm that either the complaint is true or false.”
He thanked the town council for approving the purchase of the body cameras.
“I believe it will benefit the department a tremendous amount,” Browning said.