Broward Sheriff wants body cameras, but lacks cash
Broward’s largest law enforcement agency is asking for body cameras.
Sheriff Scott Israel, in his newly released 2015-16 budget, said the Broward Sheriff’s Office is “strongly committed to equipping all of our uniformed deputies with body cameras.’’
The caveat: The agency doesn’t have the money, and is asking the county to pay for it — “if the County Commission shares our support for body cameras,’’ the sheriff wrote in a memo summarizing his budget.
The sheriff gave no estimate of the cost, and already is asking for $28.1 million more than last year. Commissioners will hold a series of budget workshops in the coming months, leading up to public hear- ings in September. The budget year starts Oct. 1, and the sheriff’s budget has a direct impact on whether property taxes are raised countywide.
All told, Israel proposes a $443.6 million public safety core budget, including $3 million he expects to have left over in this spending year. Not counting those rollover funds, the budget represents a 6.8 percent increase.
His total budget, including contracts with cities who use the sheriff ’s office for policing, is proposed at $796 million.
The increase in the countywide part of the budget would help pay for capital projects, including vehicles and computers. Some of the funds would pay for “modest’’ raises for all employees. Employees will be