A new Nevada County Grand Jury report says the Sheriff’s Department is making progress in deploying body-worn cameras. But it’s also headlined as “slow motion”. Foreman David Anderson says the jury’s original recommendation to use them was just under five years ago. Keith Royal, who was still sheriff at the time, agreed with the findings. But he declined to implement them, citing costs. Anderson says that was a legitimate concern…

click to listen to David Anderson

But the Sheriff’s Office did apply for and receive a federal grant worth 123-thousand dollars toward those costs, although that was nearly three years ago. Then, when Shannan Moon was elected as Sheriff, in November of 2018, she expressed support for the cameras. But the Grand Jury says a Request for Proposal to acquire them wasn’t issued until January of this year. Anderson says there’s no debate as to their value for the growing number of violent confrontations between a citizen and officers…

click to listen to David Anderson

The Nevada City, Grass Valley, and Truckee Police Departments had body worn cameras available for officers in 2018. The Sheriff’s Department is targeting a September deployment.