Incident Date: 10/10/16

Posted by: Media Relations

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office was recently awarded nearly $100,000 in federal grant money to purchase body-worn cameras for correctional deputies to use in the jails.

Since April, Sheriff’s deputies have been using body-worn cameras on patrol in Tulare County. With this grant, correctional deputies will use them as well.

Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said he wanted to stay ahead of the curve by seeking funds to provide body-worn cameras to correctional deputies in the Adult-Pre-Trial Facility, the Main Jail, Bob Wiley Detention Facility and the Men’s Correctional Facilities.

“Body-worn cameras are becoming an industry standard on the streets but it’s revolutionary to have them in the jails,” he said. “It’s my goal to be as transparent as possible as well as to provide officer safety. These cameras show what we are doing right.”

By having body-worn cameras in the jails, it makes the whole custody division safer. An inmate is less violent when he or she realizes the correctional deputy is wearing a body camera.

“When a deputy has to deal with a direct threat, using a body-worn camera is a deterrent,” he said.

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office was the only agency to receive funds primarily for detentions out of the 106 state, city, tribal and municipal law enforcement agencies to be awarded a Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, said Michael Roosa, senior policy adviser for the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

While the goal of this grant was primarily to get body-worn cameras on law enforcement officers on the streets and in the communities, he said, it was forward-thinking of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office to push the boundary and go beyond patrol and into the jails.

“The BJA is excited to work with [the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office] to learn best practices in the national detentions arena,” he said.

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office was awarded $97,432 from the BJA, with matching funds of $48,716 to come from Tulare County.