On Feb. 28, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors approved a contract for Axon to supply body-worn cameras for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

According to Sheriff Shannon Dicus, the sheriff’s department is excited to complete the process and see the devices on the street. “We appreciate the support of the board of supervisors and their partnership to ensure deputies have the best possible tools available to them. Body-worn camera technology is an invaluable tool and one the sheriff’s department has sought to implement for several years,” Dicus said in a press release.

A pilot program carried out in 2018 resulted in positive feedback from both deputies and the community, but it identified several technological issues that come with providing law enforcement services to a 21,000-square mile patrol area. In the time since the pilot program, the sheriff’s department has had the opportunity to identify these issues and ensure they were addressed in the request for proposal (RFP) process.

Through the RFP process, Axon was identified as the vendor capable of providing hardware, software and data storage associated with the department’s unique geographical and infrastructure challenges. The initial deployment will be to the patrol divisions – deputies, detectives and supervisors. The deployment timeline will depend on supply chain and logistical support from Axon, but the sheriff’s department looks forward to the stations deploying the devices soon.

The department will roll out body-worn cameras to the Corrections Division and other specialized units as more devices become available and additional support capabilities are built into the support divisions.