The wake county sheriff's office (wcso) proposes to implement the wcso equipment upgrade project

The Wake County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) was awarded a $878,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Congressionally Recommended Awards program (CFDA 16.753). The purpose of the grant is to purchase and distribute 200 body-worn cameras for the detention division, 30 in-car cameras for the patrol division, and 60 radars for the patrol and homeland security/special operations divisions. This equipment upgrade project aims to enhance surveillance, safety, and transparency for WCSO deputies, detention officers, Wake County citizens, and detainees. The expected outcomes include improved support for the court system and judicial process through more accurate camera footage and radar data, increased accountability and transparency for the community, and reduced traffic-related fatalities and speeding violations. The grant project period runs from October 1, 2024 to December 31, 2027.

The purpose is to purchase and provide required equipment, storage, and applicable accessories to distribute 200 body worn cameras (bwcs) for the detention division, 30 in-car cameras for the patrol division, and 60 radars for the patrol and homeland security and special operations divisions. Detention officers will use bwcs for detainees located in the receiving, transfer, and housing areas. Patrol deputies will use in-car cameras to efficiently perform their job responsibilities and replace in-car cameras that have reached their end-of-life cycle. Radars will be used by certified patrol deputies, which are designed to monitor speeding traffic while navigating through streets and roadways in a patrol vehicle. Wake county is the largest county in north carolina and wcso is responsible for ensuring the safety for 1,175,021 citizens throughout 12 municipalities that include 860 square miles of unincorporated areas. Wcso currently staffed with 442 detention officers, 393 sworn officers, with a daily population average of 1,386 detainees, during 2023, in our john h. Baker, JR. Public safety center (PSC), located at 330 south salisbury street, and wake county detention center (wcdc) located at 3301 hammond road, both located in raleigh, north carolina. Wcso has several divisions that require upgraded equipment needed to support and keep wake county citizens and visitors safe while providing transparency for the community, law enforcement personnel, and detainees. Expected outcomes will assist wcso to complete its wcso equipment upgrade project and provide surveillance and additional safety measures for wake county deputies, detention officer, wake county citizens, and detainees entrusted in our custody. The bwcs, in-car cameras, and radars will better support our court system and judicial process by providing accurate camera footage and radar detection results to accurately identify actions of all parties involved. This provides additional accountability and transparency that the community deserves. An additional expected outcome allows these updated bwcs and in-car cameras to continue to host digital evidence media (DEM) to support real-time actions by providing more accurate accounts of testimonies and/or first-hand eyewitness accounts. IT is imperative that system functionalities work together, and officers involved are trained and able to adapt to equipment and systems being used. Radars assist in reducing the number of traffic related fatalities, reduce and detect dangers of drinking and driving, and speeding violations. These devices increase accountability and transparency for wcso and the community.