By K.D. Norris
The Kent County Board of Commissioners last week approved a $2.2 million request from county Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young to purchase new body cameras for about 200 law enforcement personnel in the Sheriff’s Office, and well as replacement tasers for all officers and replacement in-car cameras for about 83 police cruisers.
“Combined with training and clearly defined protocols for camera use and for public access to video footage, body cameras are shown to be valuable tools to increase the accountability of all parties involved,” according to the Kent County announcement.
WKTV asked Sheriff LaJoye-Young to define those planned protocols for camera use and public access.
“Training is scheduled to happen as soon as we get the full delivery of the equipment and installation in the vehicles — it is a very hands-on training,” Sheriff LaJoye-Young said to WKTV. “We have developed a protocol. It has largely been based on our experience with in-car camera systems, but also on the guidance we have received from other departments who have had body cams in play for awhile. Obviously, protocol is always managed, it constantly gets updated. And so we are going to see how it starts and then adjust it if we need to.
“That protocol will be available (to the public) for people to understand. And they should expect that any time they are dealing directly with an officer who is in uniform and a body cam, that that body cam is recording. They are always free to ask an officer if their camera is recording, and our officers would be required to answer that question.”
Approximately 200 Sheriff’s office uniformed and plainclothes deputies and sergeants, community police officers, undercover officers and other personnel performing law enforcement duties will be equipped with body-worn cameras in the first quarter of 2021.
The funding for the body cameras and other upgrades was transferred from the projected Sheriff’s Office General Fund to the Fiscal Year 2020 Capital Improvement Program Fund, according to the county statement.
“The Board of Commissioners strongly supports Sheriff LaJoye-Young’s commitment to transparency, accountability and effective law enforcement practices,” Board of Commissioners chair Mandy Bolter say in supplied material.
The Sheriff echoed the public transparency aspect of the effort.
“This investment will allow for greater transparency for the residents in our community,” Sheriff LaJoye-Young said in supplied material. “Body cameras offer real-time information about what happened on a call for service or with any public contact. Plus, the footage from these calls can be used in training and monitoring exercises to strengthen the performance of our law enforcement officers in the field.”
According to the county’s announcement, the tasers, in-car video cameras and body cameras “are all part of one seamlessly integrated package” — a package the includes five cameras for the detective bureau interview room and 25 docking stations as well as a service contract at a cost of $75,000 per year for the second through fifth years of use.
“Altogether, this system will allow for a streamlined Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and discovery process, further increasing the Sheriff’s Office transparency,” according to the statement.
