New body cameras on sheriff’s wish list

Bieber seeks same cams as Shawano police, which come with $400K price tag
By: 
Lee Pulaski
City Editor

The current body cameras worn by Shawano County deputies have become obsolete, and Sheriff Adam Bieber is hoping to get them replaced, along with the cameras installed in the squad cars.

The measure would still have to get through the Shawano County Board of Supervisors, and the price tag of $400,000 might cause some debate and disagreement, but Bieber wants to be sure that the cameras are in place to protect law enforcement and the general public. He noted that having the body cameras has helped to save time in the investigation of an officer-involved shooting involving a county deputy, even though the case is not resolved.

“All that was captured on body camera, and it really cleared up what really happened,” Bieber said. “It answered a lot of questions as soon as we were able to watch that body camera.”

The county is looking at purchasing Watchguard body cameras, the same brand that the Shawano Police Department uses. The current county cameras, purchased through Vie Vu in 2016, are no longer fixable due to the company being bought out and maintenance has been terminated, according to Bieber, so it has become necessary to find another company, and it made sense to go with Watchguard.

“Technology evolves, and it doesn’t take that long for it to rotate out,” Bieber said. “This company has shut down Vie Vu and is making their own cameras now.”

With the potential for including cameras for the squad vehicles, the offer is a good one, in Bieber’s view. Holding off on the deal will just raise the price tag down the line, he said.

“Nothing in that realm is cheap, but we believe it’s crucial,” Bieber said. “It’s a crucial tool to our police officers and it’s crucial to the citizens of Shawano County that we serve. That camera serves a purpose. Everything’s recorded.”

The new cameras would also allow for cloud-based video storage, instead of requiring space from the county’s servers. The video footage would automatically be uploaded so deputies would not have to do that manually anymore, according to Bieber.

“We want to take that out because it’s a chain of custody issue,” he said. “You’re relying on your deputy to download the evidence, which at times could incriminate that deputy.”

Bieber noted that many of his deputies would be unwilling to work without the body cameras, noting that it would put them in the position where it would be their word against a suspect’s word. Having the video gives law enforcement an advantage, he said.

“Over 90% of the complaints that come about our deputies — our deputies did this, said this — and we tell the complainant that we’ll review the camera, and when they realize we have body cameras, they don’t want to pursue any complaints,” Bieber said. “It helps clear our officers much more in the end.”

When the county purchased the Vie Vu cameras in 2016, it did so in concert with the Stockbridge-Munsee Police Department. The tribe purchased the cameras, Bieber said, while the county paid for the storage.

This time around, Bieber is looking at using some of the American Rescue Plan Act funds the county has received to pay for the cameras, as the ARPA money is intended for one-time purchases. He said that the county’s general fund is also a potential source to pay for the cameras.

As far as any naysayers who might say the price tag is too high, Bieber pointed out that putting money into an outdated system of cameras would be a bigger waste of taxpayer funds.

Besides serving as protection — or proof of wrongdoing — for an officer, the body camera footage is often demanded by the court system, Bieber said, noting that it often takes more than an officer’s testimony to put a criminal away in prison.

“It helps with the judicial process and really keeps everything on an even keel,” Bieber said.

The sheriff is concerned that there could be more officer-involved shootings locally. He noted that neighboring Oconto County has already had two this year.

“It’s not slowing down,” he said.

Bieber noted the sheriff’s department is fortunate to be a little ahead of the curve in having the technology needed to fight crime. He noted that the Green Bay Police Department only last year decided to get body cameras for its officers, and that was because the Green Bay Packers ponied up the money so they could be available.

“There are pockets of law enforcement who don’t have them,” Bieber said, noting his department came on board five years ago, and the city police first purchased cameras back in 2013. “We don’t want to lose them; we want to keep them.”


lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com