Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Wednesday evening that his agency will soon get body cameras.
The announcement came during a roundtable discussion called the Community Forum on Policing.
He believes the cameras will help improve transparency between the department and the community.
“We are one of the agencies that don’t have it, but we are very excited about the fact that we are going to have it,” he said. “It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.”
Bradshaw added that the department is in discussions with the county administrator and will also be speaking with the county commission, in order to determine whether funding for the equipment may come from sales tax money.
Additionally, PBSO is reviewing several vendors, in order to ensure the agency has the best technology available, according to Bradshaw.
Join me and other top Law Enforcement as we speak with PBC Board of County Commissioners on policing in PBC. Today at 6:30PM-8:30PM. Details: https://t.co/XnYWDCzNDg pic.twitter.com/jjFv0eJwqo
— Sheriff Ric Bradshaw (@RicBradshaw) July 29, 2020
Twelve municipalities in Palm Beach County currently have body cameras, as does Florida Atlantic University’s police department.
PBSO is responsible for 1,874 of the 2,227 square miles in the county.
The agency is also contracted to 14 of the county’s 39 municipalities, or a combined population of 185,000 people.
Its proposed 2020-2021 budget is about $740 million.
Currently, PBSO has dashboard cameras in 960 of its 3,200 vehicles, which include patrol cars, unmarked units and support vehicles.