Grant approved for in-car cameras

A grant for an in-car camera system to be used by the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office was approved in a special meeting held Dec. 7 by the Van Zandt County Commissioners.  

County Auditor Freddy Thomas said that former Fire Marshal Chuck Allen had applied for the grant before Allen vacated his position.

“The grant did come through and when it was approved, Fire Marshal Allen was already gone. The grant sat there for a few weeks. But, we did go out and get a quote from WatchGuard in the amount of $69,000. My concerns were that we needed to get bids since it was over $50,000. So, we went out for bids.”

Thomas said that two bids were received. WatchGuard bid $69,000 and Digital Ally also submitted a bid that was higher.  

VZC Sheriff’s Officer Tim Scharfenberg said that having recorded video on officer’s bodies as well as in-car were crucial to provide digital evidence.

“Everyone understands the importance of digital evidence. Of course, we have body cameras which are fantastic. But, sometimes they come off and that is where the camera in the car comes in play. Those videos can be used in criminal cases,” said Scharfenberg.

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