STUART, Fla. — Martin County deputies could start wearing body-worn cameras if there is room in the county's budget.
Sheriff William Snyder on Tuesday will propose increasing his annual budget to allow his department to purchase the cameras.
It wouldn't be cheap, Snyder said, and he encourages the public to weigh in on whether this is how they want their tax dollars to be spent.
Snyder said it will cost about $1 million per year for 10 years. He said his budget is currently about $80 million per year.
"Another million per year for 10 years is a big hit," Snyder said. "When you stop and think about it, I can buy a lot of cars with that. I can buy two helicopters over 10 years with that $1 million."
Snyder said he knows the use of cameras builds public trust while also protecting deputies.
The Martin County Sheriff's Office is one of the very few agencies still not using body-worn cameras.
"Most agencies now have body cameras," Snyder said. "We've become an outlier."
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement website, Okeechobee police and Jupiter Island police are other Treasure Coast law enforcement agencies not using body-worn cameras.
Fellsmere police told WPTV they were just denied a federal grant for the cameras, but they still plan to implement them by the end of the year.
Vero Beach City Council approved the purchase of body cameras last week, according to police, and officers should be outfitted with the cameras by October.
"I never felt the technology was just right," Snyder said. "It was just too much work for the officer or deputy on the street to keep up with downloading and managing all that data. But that now is not the case."
The budget increase would cover the costs of all the cameras, software, storage and four new employees to manage public record requests and redactions.
Snyder encourages residents to let the county know how they want their tax dollars spent.
"Do you support a million a year added on to my budget? Or would you rather see us spend that money on something else?" Snyder said. "It's really a big decision for them."
Snyder said his agency has not received an inordinate number of complaints about body-worn cameras not being used.
