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Meeting Date:	10/28/2019
Body Worn Cameras Grant Award Acceptance by Webb Co. Sheriff's Office
Submitted for:	Martin Cuellar	Submitted By:	Anita Guerra
Department:	Sheriff

Subject:

Discussion and possible action to authorize the acceptance of a Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG) grant award as developed, written, presented, and submitted by the Webb County Sheriff’s Office to the Criminal Justice Division (CJD) Office of Governor (OOG) in the amount of $31,366.30 for Body Worn Cameras (BWCs) and all other necessary equipment, software supplies, and any other applicable accessories, and authorizing the County Judge to execute all relevant documents; and any other matters incident thereto. This grant does not require any type of match; and, thus will have no impact to the general fund. All required documents were sent to the Economic Development Department and were found in compliance with the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) policy. [Requested by Martin Cuellar, Webb County Sheriff]

Issue: Tragic local, state, and national events have eroded public trust in law enforcement agencies and their officers. Recent incidents has again focused attention on controversial confrontations between certain citizens and law enforcement officials; and, these specific incidents has further fomented distrust between community members and the officers sworn to protect them.

Solution: Grant award to expand and leverage grant resources so that the Webb County Sheriff’s Office will be able increase transparency and accountability through the utilization of body-worn cameras for its sworn officer force.

Result: The Webb County Sheriff’s Office will be able to achieve greater transparency and accountability in its service and protection of the Laredo/Webb County public and taxpayers.

Background:

Body-worn cameras (BWCs) can be highly effective, providing an inalterable audio and visual record of interactions that can capture empirical evidence in the event of a crime, police-citizen interaction, or use-of-force incident. Preliminary research by the U.S. Department of Justice indicates that departments that have effectively implemented body-worn cameras (BWC) programs have received fewer public complaints, file fewer use-of-force reports, and show a reduction in adjudicated complaints resulting in a decrease of settlements.

Previous Court Action:

The submission of this grant was authorized by the Webb County Commissioners’ Court on 2/25/2019.

Fiscal Impact

Budget Account Number:	To Be Determined
Funding Source:	Grant Revenue
Balance:	Various
Financial Impact:
$31,366.30 grant funding for Body Worn Cameras and needed accessories. Thus, there will be no impact to the general fund.