COLUMBUS – The Franklin County Board of Commissioners Tuesday unanimously approved a contract to provide body cameras for each of the county’s 565 deputy sheriffs.
The $2.5 million contract with WatchGuard Video will be used to buy Motorola Watchguard cameras equipped with dual microphones, built-in WiFi and GPS, and a lookback feature that will capture video and audio even prior to being activated so that they will record events that occur suddenly or before the deputy had a chance to activate the camera.
Deputies will wear the cameras at all times while on duty, even when wearing civilian clothes, unless they are undercover, and are to be activated at all times during calls for service, interacting with residents, and traffic or pedestrian stops. There is an exception for when the deputies are inside the county jail.
The commissioners also approved drafting a policy governing body camera use.