CRESTVIEW — The Crestview City Council will purchase the equipment necessary to bring Crestview Police Department video systems up to speed instead of financing the cost.
The CPD purchased 36 body cameras for deployment in the field, and had eight in-car cameras, along with software and other equipment required to use it, through a mixture of grant and general city funding, according to documents from the Oct. 10 city council meeting.
After issues with the quality of required CPD evidence, the city budget for 2017 includes the purchase of camera systems and compatible hardware and software. The new equipment, a Coban system, "not only meets, but exceeds" CPD requirements, city documents state.
Financing the Coban system would have cost the city $187,643 with interest. The approval to purchase it outright saves the city $14,840 in interest, and the new system will be put into effect much more quickly, a city document stated.
City leaders also approved staff efforts and expense for the following events, some of which are already in the budget:
- The Oct. 14 Spirits of Crestview walk on Main Street
- The Oct. 29 Fall Festival
- The Nov. 11 Veterans Day Parade
- The Dec. 3 "Christmas Through the Decades" Christmas Parade
- The Jan. 14 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Walk.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Police Department gets new cameras system