The Clark County Sheriff’s Office began a 30-day testing period Sunday for a body and vehicle camera program.
Three deputies and one sergeant were fitted with Axon body cameras for the trial period, and two deputies’ vehicles were equipped with cameras, according to an agency news release.
Representatives from Axon visited the sheriff’s office last week to train staff, including deputies and IT staff, on how to use the cameras, the sheriff’s office said.
The test period comes after an agreement between County Manager Kathleen Otto, Sheriff John Horch and the Clark County Deputy Sheriff’s Guild, the news release states.
“Everybody has been positive about the direction we’re going, and (the cameras) are going to be a great benefit to the sheriff’s office and to the public,” Horch said in a phone interview Monday. “It’s very rare you find somebody who doesn’t want to have a police officer with the bodycam, whether it’s the police, or citizens or a community group, or the county government. I think we all see the benefit of having it.”
During the test period, staff in each department of the agency will familiarize themselves with the processes, including operating the cameras, storing the footage and handling public disclosure requests.
Administrative Chief Michael McCabe said the agency’s goal is to begin rolling out equipment to its 146 sworn staff later in the year over several phases.
McCabe previously said the program will cost $4.4 million over five years. County leadership has said they would fund the program using revenue from the public safety tax, which went into effect Jan. 1.
The Vancouver and Camas police departments also use Axon cameras.
Horch said while the agency has watched how the program has worked for the Vancouver and Camas departments, it’s important for the sheriff’s office to do its own test run. For example, he said deputies will evaluate the process of uploading footage in rural areas of north county, where signal is weaker than in the cities.
