Contract approved for body cameras for Nevada Highway Patrol troopers
CARSON CITY — Nevada Highway Patrol troopers soon will wear body cameras to record their interactions with the public with the approval Tuesday of a $1.25 million five-year contract to purchase and operate the devices for its uniformed officers.
The Board of Examiners, including Gov. Brian Sandoval, approved the contract between the state Department of Public Safety and TASER International. The cameras cost $1,414 each.
The board was told the cameras should be fully operational on all troopers by the summer. About 600 cameras will be provided as part of the contract, along with data storage.
Col. Dennis Osborn, chief of the highway patrol, said body cameras will be an enhancement to dashboard cameras — which troopers have had in patrol vehicles for a decade. The two cameras will work in concert to provide a complete picture of an incident, he said.
“Right now we’re limited to the range that the dash camera can go, and sometimes we miss critical evidence that happens off the dash camera’s point of view,” he said.
The dash cameras have more often than not resulted in “saves” or evidence in the officer’s favor when a complaint is filed, Osborn said. Rarely has footage worked against a trooper in the field, he said.
The cameras will be deployed in the Carson City-Reno areas first followed by Las Vegas and rural counties with full implementation by the summer, Osborn said.
The cameras are required as a result of the passage of Senate Bill 111 during the 2015 legislative session sought by state Sens. Aaron Ford and Kelvin Atkinson, both Democrats from Southern Nevada.
Ford sought a body camera bill after numerous officer-involved shootings nationally drew widespread attention in 2015. He said in his initial testimony that the bill was not a criticism of Nevada law enforcement officials, but instead a way to provide important evidence in cases of police shootings.
Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3820. Follow @seanw801 on Twitter.
