Fiscal Court has approved a new budget request from the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office that includes a five-year contract for body worn cameras.
Sheriff Brad Youngman said it’s top of the list for outstanding projects that he wanted to accomplish.
“Upon final approval of the budget, we will immediately begin the process of procuring those units,” Sheriff Youngman told Fiscal Court. “We will join the ranks of similarly-sized sheriff’s offices across the Commonwealth that are already operating them. This is a huge step forward for the citizens of our county to whom we are accountable as well as the deputies who serve and protect.”
The total cost is estimated at $40,000 per year. The sheriff’s office just completed a monumental year in terms of staffing and operational changes.
“We were able to achieve many of our goals, such as becoming fully staffed, launching a drug unit, and increasing the number of deputies on the roads, all by moving around the resources we already had with increased funding from Fiscal Court,” Youngman said.
The Sheriff’s Office does not generate enough revenue to cover all expenses, requiring a subsidy from Fiscal Court of roughly $3 million.
In addition to the body worn cameras, the sheriff proposed moving to four, full-time Court Security Officers at the Judicial Center to correct scheduling issues and improve security coverage overall. He would also like to replace a prisoner transport van.
The budget request for Calendar Year 2024 totaled $6.85 million and included a three-percent cost of living adjustment.
