NASSAU COUNTY SHERIFF ADDS BODY-WORN CAMERAS, WHY IS ST. JOHNS COUNTY AWOL?

Calling it a "false narrative" that "cops needs to be watched," body-worn cameras were arrogantly rejected in a 2016 debate by disgraced corrupt St. Johns County then-Sheriff DAVID SHOAR, who legally changed his name from "HOAR" in 1994. 

That arbitrary, capricious fatwa seems to govern even though SHOAR was out the door a year ago.

Our neighbors to the north in Nassau County are even adopting police body-worn cameras. Sheriff ROBERT HARDWICK: is he AWOL or hard of hearing: people want police body cameras, and we're tired of being ignored by smarmy Sheriff's Department that covered up the September 2, 2010 murder of Ms. Michelle O'Connell in the home of Deputy JEREMY BANKS, who still wears a gun and badge (and no body-worn camera).  

From WJXT4:

Nassau County Sheriffs Office rolling out body-worn cameras for deputies

140 deputies expected to have body cams by end of January

At the start of her shift, Nassau County Deputy Brandy Tu

At the start of her shift, Nassau County Deputy Brandy Turman now turns on the camera that she wears on her chest.

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – At the start of her shift, Nassau County Deputy Brandy Turman now turns on the camera that she wears on her chest.

“I have actually enjoyed the body cameras. It gives us a new perspective. It gives us a new tool to work with,” Turman said.

Turman and some of her fellow deputies have been testing out the cameras for the past month. By the end of January, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper says, 140 deputies will be wearing body cameras.

“It’s a good thing because it shows the good things that deputies and officers do all the time that is never seen, that’s never captured. So when good things happen, we can show the public, hey, we did good. But if they did something bad then, naturally, we’re not hiding from it,” Leeper said.

During a significant event, like a police-involved shooting, the deputy can dock the footage in their patrol car once the scene is cleared. They will immediately put on a second camera, so they are always recording.

Sheriff Leeper discussed how the agency plans to release the video to the public.

“We worked on a policy for that and we’re going to work with the State Attorney’s Office. Depending on if any criminal activity is taking place, make sure that we’re not releasing things that would interfere with the investigation or the prosecution. We’ll release them as soon as we can and as soon as we think it’s feasible to do that,” said Leeper.

Deputy Turman believes more transparency will benefit the community.

“I think they’ll really like it. It’ll show that we do our jobs to the best of our abilities, and they’ll see what we deal with, and they’ll like it,” said Turman.

Sheriff Leeper said the body cameras cost just under $450,000. He said the funding comes from seizure assets from criminals.

In 2013, the Sheriff’s Office and a couple of other agencies did a seizure with the IRS where they received more than a million dollars, according to Leeper. He said the agency hired another person in the records department to help with public records requests for the footage.