The Kendall County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved a contract for the purchase of body cameras, a technology gaining prominence in the law enforcement world.
Motorola Solutions will provide the cameras, which the county will pay for over five years with the cost not to exceed $299,908, according to the contract.
The 56 cameras will be implemented over the next few months, according to Kendall County Sheriff Al Auxier. Officers in the Kendall County Detention Center will not receive cameras.
Auxier said minimizing complaints against officers was a big part of the appeal for the purchasing cameras.
"It's unfortunate we live in a culture today that if it's not on video, it didn't happen," Auxier said at Tuesday's Commissioners Court meeting. "The day of an officer raising their right hand and swearing to tell the truth is not enough anymore."
"Even if we do everything correct, but you don't have the body-camera footage, someone's going to accuse you of trying to cover something up," he told the Express-News.
The idea originated from Auxier during budget discussions.
The sheriff's office will have to develop policies and training programs and will look to the Texas Police Chiefs Association Foundation for guidance, he said.
"We're probably one of the only entities in the region that really doesn't have them at this point," Auxier said. "One of the very first questions that comes out of anybody's mind is, 'Where's the video? And if you don't have it, why don't you have it?' We just need to get to that place."
Auxier said he was reluctant to implement cameras at first, but said body-camera footage from every police engagement is "what people expect."
"I'm not against the cameras by any means," Auxier said. He said he was with the Texas Department of Public Safety when it chose to put cameras in its patrol cars "and there was a big uproar about it back then. But it turns out that they were actually a very good tool."
Texas does not mandate the use of body cameras by law officers. Only seven states currently require the technology be used.
Texas law also prohibits any policy requiring law enforcement officers to film their entire shift. It also requires officers to receive body-camera training.
When law enforcement officers turn on their cameras varies, according to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. Several situations, such as confrontational encounters, arrests, vehicle stops and any response to calls for service call for activating the cameras.
The Texas Police Chiefs Association Foundation states officers shall activate their cameras during "all contacts with citizens in the performance of official duties," barring some exceptions.
Boerne Police Department officers have worn cameras since the summer of 2016, according to spokesperson Chris Shadrock. The San Antonio Police Department started using body cameras in February 2016, trying them out with their downtown bike patrol units. Bexar County sheriff's deputies started wearing body cameras in 2020.
© 2023 the San Antonio Express-News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
