Ohio County Commissioners Deny Sheriff’s Office Funds for Body Cameras
Joselyn King Ohio County commissioners have decided that since body cameras aren't required for deputies, they won't fund their purchase and the department should look within their budget to find the needed money.
Last month, employees with the Ohio County Sheriff's Department appeared before the commissioners to tell them they had received a federal SRT Body Worn Camera Grant through the U.S. Bureau of Justice, and that the grant would pay a maximum of $2,000 per camera. The department had applied to receive the maximum $60,000 for 30 cameras.
The county, meanwhile, also would have to match $60,000 over the next three years, and cover additional costs. The estimated cost for the county was $70,695, according to County Administrator Randy Russell.
In addition, under the agreement with the vendor Safely the county would have to purchase five in-car camera systems over the next three years and have them installed at an expected price of about $62,000 over that time, he said.
Neither Sheriff Tom Howard nor any employees of the department were present at Tuesday's commission meeting. Russell said the sheriff's staff had already submitted the grant application, which had a deadline of Oct. 2.
"It is not required, right?" Commissioner Zach Abraham asked Russell of the need for body cameras for deputies. "They have a lot of other requests in to us. I appreciate their work, but have we had any requests from them for budget revisions (to cover the costs)? That would probably be the most logical thing for them to do."
Russell confirmed body cameras for deputies are not yet required in West Virginia and that "it is unlikely that it will be required."
He added that cruisers already are equipped with in-car body cameras, though sheriff's staff told commissioners last month new ones would be needed for any new cruisers purchased by the county in the future.
Abraham noted that since commissioners never approved the grant application, that also raises issues.
Abraham, Commission President Don Nickerson and Commissioner Randy Wharton opted to take no additional action.
Last spring, county commissioners reached a legal settlement with deputies that granted them a 23% wage increase retroactive to the start of this year. Since then, commissioners have been scrutinizing purchase requests from the sheriff's department.
The commission is next scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. on Oct. 25 at the City-County Building,1500 Chapline St., Wheeling.