FLOYD COUNTY, Ind. (WAVE) – Right now, the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office is the only agency in Southern Indiana without body cameras. But, they’re looking to change that in the early part of next year, and they want the public’s help.
Floyd County Sheriff Steve Bush said one of the biggest reasons the department doesn’t have body cameras yet is the cost. Now, with money set aside from the county council, it’s actually happening.
“I think having cameras on any officer, whether it’s a corrections officer or a police officer, is very beneficial because it helps in your report writing, it helps in what took place, and it helps keep you away from lawsuits and do what’s right,” said Bush.
But the department is also applying for a grant to help cover the rest of the cost, which David Lapsey, Jr., an assistant criminology professor at Indiana University Southeast, is helping with.
“I just contacted the sheriff and let him know that I think I can help with the grant writing aspect and evaluating the technology, if it ever got implemented,” said Lapsey.
But, these aren’t just any body cameras– they will use AI technology.
As part of the application, Lapsey is conducting a public survey.
“There is a survey experiment within the survey itself, comparing traditional body-worn cameras against these AI-assisted body-worn cameras,” said Lapsey. “It uses a GIS, so geographic information system, to help activate or deactivate the camera on certain calls. It allows for the supervisor on duty to view a livestream of whatever that camera is capturing. If a weapon is pulled, then it will automatically activate that camera as well as cameras within a certain distance.”
And, the AI feature would also help write police reports.
“Regardless, the officers are still going to have to proofread that report, still have to go through and make their changes of what they witnessed or whatever took place, but it’s a feature we want to look at to see if it’s what we want,” said Bush.
Lapsey told WAVE that while officers may have varying opinions on the AI feature, he anticipates the public will be in favor of it, as they usually are with traditional body cameras.
Despite this, Sheriff Bush said getting the public’s opinion is still important.
“It’s all about the public sentiment of what they want, because ultimately they elect me, so they hold me accountable,” said Bush.
Lapsey said the survey will most likely be closed by the end of January. If you live in Floyd County and are interested in taking it, it is linked here.
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