The St. Joseph Police Department moved one step closer to deploying body cameras after receiving the green light to purchase the equipment.
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, council members unanimously approved an emergency ordinance authorizing the purchase of 125 body cameras and 100 in-car cameras from Utility Associates, Inc.
“We’re certainly hoping to be piloting that technology by early summer,” St. Joseph Police Chief Paul Luster said. ”It’s our hopes that every officer will be in the body camera by the end of the calendar year.”
The body cams and in-car cameras come with a $1.35 million price tag in total. The cost of the equipment will be payable over a five-year period, with $540,000 being budgeted for fiscal year 2023-24.
With the ordinance now passed, the department will shift to a body cam project management stage, a notable step before the equipment can be officially implemented and rolled out.
“We’ll engage that vendor, get all the contracts and things signed … At that point, we’ll be assigned a project manager who will kind of work through the logistics of getting those body cameras deployed, getting our in-car cameras updated to where those systems are working together,” Luster said.
In addition to boosting police accountability and transparency, body cameras and in-car cameras will hopefully prove to be a vital new tool for conducting investigations and prosecuting criminals.
“The potential to record, you know, crucial evidence is there,” Luster said. “So it takes a lot to manage that data with the system. But the benefits it brings, I think to the officers and the community in on through the legal system is huge.”
The meeting also saw the city approve an ordinance to use up to $8,100 in public safety tax money to purchase eight handguns and four holsters for the police department. Some of the department’s aging handguns are approaching 17 years old and need replaced.
Council members met at City Hall on Tuesday this week with Memorial Day falling on their regularly scheduled Monday meeting day.
In a surprise move, council members approved a motion to suspend the use of their electronic voting system in favor of voice voting until longstanding issues with the city’s vote tallying technology provider are resolved.
City officials said the change will not disrupt the pace of meetings or the council’s ability to tally votes.
Council members also approved changes to the city’s code of ordinances to repeal two existing boards. Repealed boards include the Advisory Commission on Aging, which last met in 2012, and the Board of Operating Engineers, which last met in 2001.
Notable resolutions for adoption:
Messanie Street from 31st to 34th streets will see $96,000 worth of concrete street repairs after council members signed off on the resolution.
Council members also approved a funding agreement to provide $24,500 for roof repairs at the Voices of Courage Child Advocacy Center using American Rescue Plan Act funds.
City council is slated to approve an ordinance adopting the fiscal year 2024-25 city budget at its next scheduled meeting June 10 after introducing the bill for first reading Tuesday.
SOURCE: News-Press NOW