Police to get new in-car video systems

Cameras are planned for interview room as well

Chardon Police Department is among the many trying to change with the technological times, and this year will take another step in that direction.

Chief Scott Niehus recently updated the city’s Safety Committee on plans to upgrade the department’s video camera system for patrol cars and to add a camera system to the interview room.

“This project has been included in our capital budget discussion for several years,” he said. “We knew that we would need to replace our existing Arbitrator camera systems due to the inability to get parts for them, due to their age.”

They also aren’t able to obtain batteries for the transmitters that are carried by the officers to record audio, and the department has experienced video degradation.

The existing cameras were purchased as part of a countywide investment in Motorola Toughbook computers and Arbitrator Cameras 11 or 12 years ago.

The new WatchGuard camera/video purchase includes seven car systems, three interview room systems, a video server and wireless connection points, totaling $75,800.

“The server has been delivered, and we expect delivery of the camera systems and related equipment any day now,” Niehus said. “We anticipate that our installation will begin sometime in late April or early May, and will occur in three phases: server first, interview room camera systems and then the car systems.”

The interview room camera is being added so that all of the evidentiary video will be on the same server, and managed from the same platform.

“Technology over the last 10 years has improved significantly,” he said. “The in-car systems (will) include a front-facing panoramic view that will capture events that would not have been captured previously. This will be beneficial to us, and will allow us to capture a wider view of what is occurring in the 180 degrees forward of the police car.”

Completion is anticipated by midsummer.

“Video recordings provide a level of protection for officers and the public as well, and we want to ensure that all of our systems are functioning properly,” Niehus added.

The city also is pursuing a $500,000 grant to update its dispatch consoles.

The estimated project cost is about $600,000 for equipment and installation to replace the two dispatch positions and to have two backup consolettes, plus related furniture.

The dispatch consoles were installed in 1997.

The department employs 12 full-time officers and seven part-timers. Niehus plans to hire additional part-time staff this year.