FRESNO, Calif. (KERO) — The Fresno County Sheriff's Office has announced that due to a grant in the amount of $430,000 it secured in October 2022, it will begin equipping deputies with body worn cameras starting in 2023.
FCSO plans to purchase 215 Axon Body 3 cameras, including hardware, software, licensing, storage, maintenance, training and field deployment. The total cost of the rollout is approximately $3 million dollars.
According to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, they received some of the equipment in December 2022 and the department's training unit is testing the cameras and working to develop a policy for their use. FCSO says they're working with other law enforcement agencies to determine best practices for the cameras.
FCSO says it will deploy the cameras in stages, first to specific deputies who have regular interactions with the public, and then phasing them into other specialty units in the department. They expect to start this process by mid to late 2023.
The department says their long term goal is to supply body worn cameras to most agency employees, which may include detectives, as well as jail and courthouse personnel.
