Piedmont police officers will soon be equipped with body cameras, following approval from the Piedmont City Council at Tuesday’s meeting.
At the recommendation of Police Chief Freddie Norton, Axon Enterprise, a Scottsdale, Arizona based supplier of law enforcement and self-defense equipment, was chosen out of the three proposals presented.
According to the Axon proposal, the company will provide the department with a complete system including 42 cameras over a 5 year period and cloud based video storage, as well as fly in a representative to train officers for a total cost of $58,448.
While in favor of purchasing body cams, Council Member Bobby Hardin questioned the selection of Axon as one of the other providers was more than $30,000 cheaper. “I want them to have them. I just think we should maybe look at the price,” Hardin said.
Norton said he recommended Axon because of their known reliability and the training that they provide. There’s also a level of familiarity. According to Norton, Axon is the provider of choice for surrounding departments. Additionally, Piedmont already has a taser contract with the company.
When discussing the operation protocol of the body cams, Norton said that the cameras would be required during all police interactions with the public.
According to Norton, Piedmont is the only police department in Calhoun County without body cams.
In other business, bills for payment were approved in the amount of $556,955.36.
Also, the council agreed to annex a property North of Alabama Highway 21 into the city limits.
The next regular Piedmont City Council Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 16th, immediately following the work session, which is set for 5:30pm.