Texas side to hold public hearings on police cameras, building demolition

Public hearings on more than $879,000 in spending are on the agenda of Monday’s Texas-side City Council meeting.

Residents can comment on two proposed contracts, one to buy gear including body cameras for police and another to demolish a downtown building.

The first hearing is on city plans to spend more than $250,000 over five years to replace dashboard cameras in Texarkana, Texas, Police Department patrol cars; buy body cameras for officers; and pay for cloud storage of audio and video data. The purchase would also include cellular modems/ routers to be installed in each patrol vehicle.

The contract is with Taser International of Scottsdale, Ariz. Body cameras bought in 2015

from a different company failed and were returned last summer. L3 Mobile-Vision refunded the cameras’ purchase price—more than $20,000, which had been donated by private citizens.

State law mandates that video and audio recording equipment be in all fleet vehicles regularly used to make traffic stops. Texas does not require body cameras, but they have been popular in the wake of recent, controversial uses of deadly force by police elsewhere.

The second hearing concerns demolition of the downtown Kress Building, 116 W. Broad St. The council is considering a $629,000-plus contract to demolish the unstable building, which the city accepted as a donation in 2009.

“A structural engineering report conducted by Raley and Associates in 2012 stated that the building structure appears to be unstable and needs to be demolished as soon as possible,” briefing materials state.

If the council approves the demolition contract with Gator Industrial LLC of Joplin, Mo., the work is expected to begin in late April and continue through September, City Planner Daphnea Ryan said at the last council meeting.

Gator Industrial has agreed to try to preserve the salt-glazed terracotta tiles that adorn the building’s facade. Whatever tiles are preserved will be stored by the city for future use.

Votes on both contracts are scheduled for April 24.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 220 Texas Blvd. The agenda also includes an open forum during which members of the public may address the council on any topic for up to five minutes each.

On Twitter: @RealKarlRichter