London, Laurel Co. law enforcement investing in body cameras
Decision comes amid calls for transparency after fatal police shooting
LONDON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — In the last month, both the London Police Department and the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office have purchased body cameras and software from Motorola.
London Mayor Randall Weddle said the decision was based on recommendations from law enforcement agencies already using the system.
“They thought this was a durable good system, Kentucky State Police was using it, they bragged about these body cameras. So I made the decision to go ahead and use that brand.”
Laurel County Sheriff John Root shared a similar sentiment.
“We talked to different companies, Motorola had the best camera we felt and that’s what we decided to go with.”
The decision follows an officer-involved shooting that left 63-year-old Douglas Harless dead in December. The Kentucky State Police are investigating, as questions remain about whether officers were at the correct address. The incident has sparked community demands for more transparency.
“With the recent events and the public speaking, that you know they wanted them, we expedited it. I heard what the public said and I agreed. So we expedited it and made sure the guys have it, within the next week or two they should be wearing the body cameras,” Mayor Weddle said.
London police have used body cameras in in past years, but Weddle said they previously stopped due to costs.
“There was a pause on the body camera, but there was never a process where we were saying, ‘we didn’t want them’, he said “And then you see the price tag, if you talk about all the vehicles and all the officers being covered, that’s $450,000, to cover just all the officers $154,000,” said Mayor Weddle.
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office will be using body cameras for the first time but said the decision is unrelated to the London Police shooting.
“We were in discussions long before that incident occurred,” Sheriff Root said.
The sheriff’s office says the cameras will cost them $26,800 per year, while the London Police Department will pay $30,800 annually.
