GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. – The Clay County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) on Monday announced a potential $7 million plan to issue body-worn cameras to all its deputies over the next five years.
Clay County is the last of the major sheriff’s offices in the area to implement body cameras.
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Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook said in a news release the plan shows her commitment to “enhancing transparency, accountability, and safety within law enforcement operations” because body cameras “serve as a crucial tool in promoting trust and confidence in the criminal justice system.”
CCSO said it is set to initiate the testing and evaluation of body-worn camera technology, with full implementation following the evaluation phase. An exact timeline of when they will be put in place was not released.
Cook said CCSO is partnering with potential vendors to conduct comprehensive testing of both hardware and software solutions. The approach aims to identify the most cost-efficient and beneficial option for the agency and the citizens of the county, CCSO said.
“Our decision to implement body-worn cameras underscores our unwavering commitment to fostering transparency, accountability, and safety within our communities, while also increasing the safety of our deputies,” stated Sheriff Michelle Cook. “We recognize that this represents a significant investment of capital, and thus, we are taking a deliberate and systematic approach to ensure that we select the most effective solution for our agency and our community. We are currently pursuing grants to offset some of the costs associated with a body-worn camera program.”
The cost of putting the cameras on the 350 deputies currently working for the agency is expected to be about $1.4 million each year for the next five years.
The cost estimate is based on the current pricing of the cameras the agency is testing along with prices of software, storage and services.
