CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – The Conway Police Department is looking to upgrade its body cameras and in-car cameras.
Conway police are asking for 90 cameras for police officers to wear or have in their vehicles. Police say the new cameras are important to following a judge’s order for Grand Strand police departments.
Conway’s police department already uses body cameras, but police say the system they have right now needs an upgrade.
“We’re happy with it, but just moving to this system is just a lot better,” said Capt. Tammy Carter with the Conway Police Department. “We just hope to receive the funding for it.”
Friday was the second day of Conway’s annual budget retreat in Pinopolis. Capt. Carter told city leaders via video conference the police department wants to replace 60 body cameras and 30 dashboard cameras. The new cameras would cost $133,000 this year and total $440,000 over a five-year contract.
The request comes after a circuit court judge extended the deadline for police departments in Horry and Georgetown counties to improve how they store high tech evidence and send it to the solicitor’s office.
“Dump it all here and then we’ll figure out what we need to send to the defense attorney,” Jimmy Richardson, who’s the 15th Circuit Solicitor, told News 13 in January.
Capt. Carter says the new cameras would give Conway police better quality video and comply with the court order.
“Just the ease of uploading all the files they need and when it comes time to transmit them over to the solicitor’s office,” she said. “It’s just very officer-friendly.”
Capt. Carter also says Conway police need to replace four vehicles, along with eight mobile data terminals, five portable radios and four radar units.
Conway’s fire department also spoke via video conference with the city leaders at the budget retreat.
Fire chief Le Hendrick asked the city to hire seven more firefighters as part of next year’s budget. Chief Hendrick says six of those new firefighters would operate the fire department’s quick response vehicle.
Fire chief Hendrick also asked the city leaders to change the shift schedule. Firefighters would work 24 hours, then get 48 hours off, throughout a four-week cycle.
Right now, firefighters have a three-week cycle, with a short week, a long week of 96 hours, and one week off.
“It’s great for the guys to a certain degree, but they get burned out on the long week and then, when they’re gone, they get disconnected from the department,” fire chief Hendrick said. “So we want to bring them in line with more of a traditional schedule, which is more of industry standards.”
Chief Hendrick also asked to buy a new ladder truck for $950,000.
The three-day budget retreat wraps up Saturday morning.