Body cameras in the pipeline but not the budget

By BETSY CALVERT

STAFF WRITER

Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell told county commissioners his budget for the fiscal year ‘20/‘21 will include about $800,000 for a new traffic safety team.

Body cameras for law enforcement officers is not part of this budget, Prummell said, because the proposal came too late in the process. They have narrowed body camera purchases down to two vendors and will be testing those products. The cost could range from $900,000 to $1.3 million a year.

Traffic safety is one of the biggest complaints the Sheriff’s Office receives, Prummell said. It currently has only one team, and the new team will allow the county to have traffic safety coverage 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

The safety teams concentrate on stretches of road and intersections with the most crashes. Startup costs include personnel, radar detectors and vehicles.

The sheriff’s $79.4 million budget is up 4.9% over last year. It covers 32% of tax dollars.

The budget includes a 4% salary increase, but increases are not guaranteed to all staff, Prummell said. The department will use performance-based assessment for raises for the first time, with staff who have more than one written reprimand forgoing raises.

Overtime is up, but they have used unfilled position funding to cover that, he said. Other cost savings include more fuel-efficient cars. Email: betsy.calvert@yoursun.com