Photo by Joselyn King Ohio County Chief Deputy Kent Lewis, left, and Sheriff Nelson Croft address county commissioners Tuesday night with their asks for new handguns and body cameras for deputies.

WHEELING – The Ohio County Sheriff’s Department is ordering new handguns and new body cameras, and the purchases won’t cost the county any additional money.

Sheriff Nelson Croft told county commissioners Tuesday he was ordering 40 new handguns for his department at a cost of $26,550 from Vance Outdoors of Columbus.

There are 32 deputies who carry handguns, and the remaining eight would be extras for when they are needed, he continued

“They are going to be paid for through the equitable sharing account – which is drug seizure money,” Croft explained. “So there will be no cost or anything out of the budget to taxpayers.”

Firearms have about an eight-to-10-year lifespan, and the ones currently used by deputies have been used for nine years, he noted.

Commission President Zach Abraham asked Croft if he needed any additional funding for the weapons from the commission.

“No. We’re good,” he answered. “Crime does pay sometimes.”

Chief Deputy Kent Lewis also updated commissioners on the purchase of body cameras for the department.

He explained the department had been awarded $60,000 last year from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance through its Small, Rural, and Tribal Body-Worn Camera Program. The grant came with a stipulation the county would also need to put up a $60,000 match.

The cost for the 30 body cameras being purchased comes to $70,695, according to Lewis.

Lewis said it appears the county has already fulfilled its part of the $60,000 match. Commissioners previously approved the purchase of in-car cameras needed for the body cameras, and that cost came to $45,715, he explained.

Both the in-car cameras and the body cameras are products of Safe Fleet For Law Enforcement of Missouri City, Texas

Additionally, the salaries of those deputies training others in the use of the body cameras can be written off as a matching expense to meet the purchase requirements, so the county does not need to pay the additional money, according to Lewis.

“The county has already spent that money,” Croft added. “Everything is paid for.”

The contract with Safe Fleet is for two years, and under its terms the body cameras will be replaced every two years, Croft and Lewis explained.

The Wheeling Police Department and the West Virginia State Police already have the body cameras, and the U.S. Department of Justice is now requiring them for drug enforcement agencies, Lewis said.

“I think it is going to become a requirement for all entities to have them,” he continued. “It may also become a caveat for us to apply for other grants.”

County Solicitor Donald Tennant added that he knows County Prosecutor Shawn Turak is in favor of the body cameras, and that she believes them to be a vital tool in prosecution.

But Tennant, a defense attorney, said he is concerned the body cameras also could be a liability if policies and training surrounding their use are not properly followed by deputies. He encouraged the training and policies to be of “the highest quality.”

“As a criminal defense lawyer, the only way I can beat the Ohio Highway Patrol on a DUI is to watch the video. If the officer does not do the arresting correctly, I knock it out – based on the video,” Tennant said. “So in my opinion, the video is a friend to the criminal defense attorney, so you have to be careful of what you wish for.”

Commissioners unanimously approved the purchase of the handguns and the body cameras.

“I’m a huge fan of the body cameras because I’m a fan of transparency,” Croft said. “If our policies aren’t adhered to … we’re going to take care of it.

“It’s just inevitable that they are going to be mandatory for all agencies anyway. That’s my opinion,” he added.