A road rage incident in April reinforced the need for body cameras for North Lewisburg Police Chief Scott Bodey.
The chief informed village council Tuesday night that he is in the process of securing cameras for the department, as well as crafting policies for their use, after the incident which involved a man armed with a handgun.
Bodey said the event started in Union County when one motorist threw a bottle at another vehicle, prompting that car to turn and give chase. The chase led to North Lewisburg and ended at a home.
According to Bodey, the lead vehicle had apparently been in contact with a resident of the home. When officer Drew Goings pulled up a few seconds later, the resident was coming out of the home with a handgun.
The resident immediately complied with the officer’s command to drop the gun and the situation was reportedly deescalated. Still, Bodey has concerns over what could have happened if the officer was forced to use his weapon.
Apparently, soon after the event, as many as eight family members were at the scene while the officer tried to unravel the events.
“If that went sour, we had eight witnesses to our one,” Bodey said.
Bodey has since been in contact with companies that supply and service body cameras, in an effort to obtain two for the department. He said a pair of cameras with a docking station and cloud storage of recordings would cost less than $2,400 per year.
The chief said the company would repair or replace any camera damaged or lost in the line of duty.
Before the cameras can be obtained, Bodey said he must finish the departmental procedures for their use. He said some initial work on the policy was done when the department was formed a year ago, but was not finished because cameras were not furnished.
“I’m really pushing to get body cameras sooner than later,” he said.
The chief also received approval from council to purchase a new cruiser for the department. Bodey said the agency’s two cruisers are repeatedly out of service for repairs, including a 2014 Ford Explorer which is in need of replacement.
Body said he has obtained a quote of $33,000 for a 2021 Ford SUV Police Interceptor. To fully outfit the vehicle for the road, with lightbar, radio and other equipment, the price will increase to $47,000.
Bodey said there is an option to lease the vehicle, but the village would have still paid the full purchase price by the end of the term, plus an additional 3.25% interest.
Council approved the purchase. Bodey said it could take up to four months to receive the vehicle, because of a supply shortage caused from a deficiency of needed microchips.
In other business, council:
•Set a community-wide yard sale for June 4-6.
•Approved a five-year contract with Miami Valley Lighting for operating the village street lights.
•Learned that the village will be seeking Community Development Block Grant funding for a project to install new ADA compliant doors at the village municipal building.
•Learned from village water and sewer superintendent Trevor Clark that needed repairs and maintenance at the sewer plant could cost $78-$90,000. Village administrator Andy Yoder said any work over $50,000 would require a formal bidding process. Clark said the work is urgently needed and he would see if repairs could be split into separate contracts.
•Learned that a private donation will result in the basketball courts at the village park being resurfaced. The village will pay for new rims and nets at the court to complete the renovation.