The 115 body cameras and 70 dash cameras equipped with license plate reading technology will outfit every deputy with some left over to spare, said Sgt. Josh Lester.
Currently, only two cruisers are outfitted with license plate readers that cost about $30,000 each. The technology works by linking to a federal and state run database that contains a list of license plates of stolen cars or fugitives.
When the reader identifies one of those plates, it will alert the deputy. The readers cannot connect a license plate to a type of car or person unless data is entered into the system connecting the two. It will also not be used to spot expired license plates, Lester said.
"That's going to give us that upper hand to really get out there and solve things faster and get justice where it needs to be and return property to people that are victims," he said.
The Sheriff's Office has been working on obtaining body cameras for about a year. In March, it reported to the commission that the cost would be $1 million. However, this purchase will bundle three different technologies, including needed Tasers.
It is cheaper to buy all the technology at the same time rather than purchase it separately, said Kanawha County Sheriff Mike Rutherford.
The Tasers are needed because next year, Axon, the company that provides the department's stun guns, will stop making replacement parts for the model currently carried by deputies, Rutherford said.
Sgt. Jeremy Hatfield is overseeing the build and launch of the program. He explained the technology to the commission.
When a Taser or gun is pulled, the body cameras will automatically activate. Dash cameras and body cameras of other officers within a certain vicinity will also turn on. Dash cameras will automatically turn on when lights and sirens are activated.
The Sheriff's Office is working on a policy for how deputies will need to use the cameras. Deputies will not be allowed to turn the cameras off during an incident.
Hatfield said software installation can begin right away, and he hopes the cameras will be fully integrated by summer.
Additional charges include $30,000 for SIM cards for the technology and the addition of at least one position, Rutherford said.
Around a dozen other agencies in West Virginia use this type of camera, Lester told the Gazette-Mail. However, he does not know of any other agencies who have all the equipment Kanawha County is getting.
The Charleston Police Department recently purchased 180 body cameras to outfit all officers, Interim Police Chief Scott Dempsey said. Most of their fleet vehicles have in-car cameras, but the license plate readers are separate.
Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said the body cameras provided three advantages: keeping deputies safe, keeping taxpayers from lawsuits and protecting the public.
Commissioner Lance Wheeler said the new technology will also make it easier for the prosecutor's office to get evidence and information they need.
The $3 million will be paid over five years. The first two payments of around $600,000 each could come from around a million dollars in savings the county has realized from changes to the jail bill formula, Wheeler said.
The Sheriff's Office is also exploring grant funding which could potentially cover around half of the cost.
"The interaction with the public will be much easier," Rutherford said after the vote. "If there's a problem, we can find out and take care of it. If it's a complaint that's not valid, then it will take care of the deputies and prove either they did or did not do something."
Rutherford said deputies had tried out several different vendors in the research process. He called this package "leaps and bounds" over other available technology.
"I think it's an exceptional situation that they were able to do for us, and it's going to be markedly [better] for the safety of our deputies and for the public to know what's going on and have access to information we receive," he said.
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