Following an audit’s findings, West Virginia’s jails commissioner says body cameras are a top priority although he acknowledged millions of dollars in up front costs.
Corrections Commissioner David Kelly linked an investment in body cameras for officers to the possibility of a reduction in litigation risks.
“The implementation of body cameras is one of the top priorities of the agency,” Kelly told the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance during interim meetings at Canaan Valley on Monday.
Kelly was discussing the findings of an audit of the Department of Homeland Security by the national consulting firm BDO.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey lauded the audit results last month as a way to potentially save millions of dollars across several agencies.
BDO’s report estimated that the department could achieve nearly $39.4 million in annual savings by modernizing technology and streamlining administrative functions.
Kelly was clear that the audit’s corrections recommendations would not show as budget savings on paper, but rather as reduced payouts and risk.
The findings showed that excessive use of force claims involving the corrections cost the state about $3.5 million a year, accounting for 84% of the costs the state pays to the Board of Risk and Insurance Management for corrections-related issues.
“The body cameras, as you know, will cut down on the use of force, those claims,” Kelly said. “And it does two things: It protects our good officers, and unfortunately we don’t always have all good officers, so it will reveal those who aren’t doing their jobs.”
But if body-worn cameras are a way to address the problem, there would be a financial investment up front and ongoing.
The initial purchase of equipment is estimated to cost $1.8 million, with an additional $500,000 to $1 million annually required for software maintenance and subscriptions.
“When we lose a case or when a case is settled, that comes from BRIM dollars, and it wouldn’t take many settlements to come up with a $1.8 million savings,” Kelly said.