TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The Sheriff's office — and the general public — have long wished for dash cams to improve law enforcement and transparency. Now, thanks to grant funding helping with the $130,000 price tag, 32 patrol vehicles have been outfitted with the technology.
- Axion Dash Cams can start recording manually, or automatically when the deputy engages their emergency lights
- Cameras can record video and audio, and the deputies can wear microphones outside of their vehicles to capture audio during interactions.
- 32 vehicles have been outfitted with the cameras.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story
"It used to be that somebody could be coming up here to the stop sign and not stop, and we write them a ticket for it," Sergeant Ken Mencl told me as I rode with him in his patrol vehicle. "The case would get thrown out of court because there was no evidence."
Mencl took me on a drive to show me the features of the sheriff's offices new Axion dash camera technology.
"Now that we have these dash cameras, we're able to capture that evidence and provide that to the court, and provide that uncontradicted evidence that shows the violations took place."
The new fleet of dash cameras started being installed in over 30 patrol vehicles last week.
Sgt Mencl told me both the sheriff's office and the community had been wanting this technology for a long time, but only recently was the $130,000 annual price tag achievable
"It was a long road to get to this point," Mencl said. "We've talked about it. We've included it in budgets in the past, but quite simply it's just such an expense that it was something that was just out of our grasp, out of our reach."
The dash cameras will automatically activate when the deputy triggers their emergency lights, or when the vehicle reaches a speed of 90 miles an hour
The cameras also cover audio — including a microphone system to record deputy interactions with the public.
Any video not linked to a crime, is purged after 14 days. If it is related to a crime, it could be held onto for years.
Sergeant Mencl said the cameras help with accountability, not just for the public, but for the deputies as well. "They want to make sure that we can be held accountable, that we're doing our job the right way, that we're not violating anybody's constitutional rights," Mencl said. "That we're not making stuff, up that were true to our oath."
