By Erica Smith
The Decatur Daily, Ala.
ATHENS, Ala. — The Limestone County Sheriff’s Office will receive an $11,361 U.S. Department of Justice grant to help buy 33 body-worn cameras for corrections officers at the Limestone County Jail.
The Limestone County Commission recently approved accepting the grant. Jail Administrator Tammy Waddell said the jail does not currently use body cameras.
“What we’re doing is implementing the body cameras into the jail because we don’t currently have them,” Waddell said. “We’re getting 33 body cameras. They will be utilized by the officers on the shift — anyone that will come in immediate contact with inmates will be wearing a body camera.”
Waddell said the jail already has security cameras, but body cameras would provide audio and a closer view of interactions between corrections officers and inmates. She said the footage could help administrators investigate allegations against officers and determine whether misconduct occurred.
“If there’s an allegation made against an officer, we want to be able to investigate that allegation and determine if there was any kind of conduct that was not acceptable. Giving the body cam to the officer will ensure safety and security of the facility,” Waddell said. “We have security cameras throughout the jail, but it doesn’t give you first-hand knowledge, and it doesn’t allow us to have audio. The body cams will increase our information when it comes to an incident that has occurred.
“Which we do have incidents, unfortunately. That’s part of working in a facility like this.”
Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin said the cameras would provide another layer of accountability for both corrections officers and inmates.
“Obviously, as the population in the jail grows there’s a big need for accountability and video from that first person perspective,” he said. “In this case, it would be for the inmates and officers — another layer of security there if anything happens or if anything comes up.”
Waddell said the jail averages 312 inmates a day and has about 12 to 13 corrections officers per shift. Other employees work in more stationary positions during the week.
The 33 cameras would allow one set to be used while another is charging, Waddell said.
“And then we have other people in positions that are more stationary Monday through Friday,” Waddell said. “Our goal was to have enough cameras to have one set on charge. Because we’re a 24-hour operation, we would have cameras for one shift to wear for the 12 hours that they were here, and the second set be fully charged when the night shift comes in.”
The Justice Department grant covers only the purchase of the cameras, Waddell said. The Sheriff’s Office had initially sought $99,000 for the body-camera program, which would include costs beyond the initial purchase.
“It would not pay for the full services it would take to continue with this. So, this is basically the implementation stage,” she said. “You usually try to do a three- to five-year contract. So, that’s when additional funding will come into play to pay for the services. The initial request we had was for $99,000.”
The Sheriff’s Office also will use part of an anticipated U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant for body-camera services, McLaughlin said.
Waddell said the Sheriff’s Office sought grants to reduce or avoid using county funds for the program. She said body cameras have become increasingly common in law enforcement and corrections, and the Justice Department grant provides enough money to begin the program, although additional funding will be needed for ongoing costs.
The anticipated Homeland Security grant also would pay for vehicles, ballistic vests and other equipment, McLaughlin said.
“It’s going to provide vehicles, the body camera services, ballistic vests for officers, and hopefully we’ll be able to purchase 15 of the grapplers for patrol vehicles,” he said. “A grappler is a net that goes on the front of a patrol car. When a car is trying to flee, they can deploy this, and it kind of extends out of the car and goes under the rear of the vehicle, catches the rear tire and brings the car to a stop.”
McLaughlin said the department hopes to buy 15 Grappler devices, which are mounted on patrol vehicles and deploy netting designed to catch a fleeing vehicle’s rear tire. He said the devices can be more effective than spike strips under the right circumstances.
“If you’re successful enough to spike a vehicle, I think 1% of the vehicles spiked actually stop,” he said. “The rest just continue to flee at high rates of speed on a flat tire, which can potentially make it worse.
“A Grappler is just another tool to try and bring a car chase to a stop safely.”
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