December 28, 2023 / By mobanmarket
DEERFIELD, IL — Following the passage of the Illinois SAFE-T Act in July, all police departments in the state are now required to purchase body-worn cameras for their officers. At Monday night’s meeting, the Deerfield Village Board unanimously approved the purchase of 43 of these cameras, along with relevant equipment, for a total cost of more than $370,000.
According to the law, police departments in Illinois must implement the cameras by Jan. 1, 2025.
“The Deerfield Police Department recognizes that trust and mutual respect between the department and our community is imperative,” Deerfield Police Chief John J. Sliozis said. “The ability to protect and serve with integrity is essential to our criminal justice system.”
The cameras will be purchased from Axon Enterprise, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based company specializing in the development of technology and weapons products for military, law enforcement, and civilians. Axon is the maker of Taser, for which the company was formerly named. Sliozis was seeking a non-competitive bidding process for the purchase of the cameras.
Officials said the cost of the cameras will be distributed over five years, with an initial payment of $250,000, which is budgeted for Fiscal Year 2024. The payment will be reimbursed through a grant provided by the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity. Sliozis noted that the budgeting process for the cameras would begin again after the first five years.
According to Sliozis, the officer-worn cameras will provide state-of-the-art evidence collection, impartial evidence and documentation to settle disputes and allegations of misconduct.
“The evidence collected while improving transparency and accountability will strengthen the already high public trust,” Sliozis said.
Sliozis is hoping to have the cameras purchased in the first quarter of 2024, before a pilot program for officers to learn how to use the equipment is implemented, so police can be “proficient” at using them by Jan. 1, 2025.
Sliozis said the Lake County States Attorney’s office currently only accepts digital evidence through Evidence.com, as supplied by Axon, which is the sole storage location for the body-worn cameras. He noted that the sharing of this evidence electronically will save costs in preparing other media options for the prosecution of cases.
In the meeting’s agenda, a list of the features of the Axon Body 3 Video Camera (DVR) was provided, including:
The Village Board also approved a resolution to waive the competitive bidding process and authorize the purchase of four Axon interview cameras, at a cost of $52,733.88.
Additionally, Sliozis said the police department will be seeking the purchase of new squad car camera systems through Axon with the 2025 fleet, with an “ultimate goal of having all of our digital equipment in one platform.”
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