Clay County Sheriff Mark Emptying and Patrol Division Commander Ltd. Josh Schroeder explain the new body cameras purchased by the county.
Karen Newman
Clay County Sheriff Mark Empting and Patrol Division Commander Lt. Josh Schroeder appeared before the December 1 meeting of the Clay County Commission to demonstrate new body cameras which are being distributed to law enforcement personnel this week.
Empting showed the commissioners the body camera he wears. It attaches via strong magnets to the shirt front and appears to stay in place during physical altercations. To an inquiry from Commission Chair Frank Gross about whether the sheriff can watch officers at any time from his office, Sheriff Empting responded, “No.”
Asked about issues to date with the cameras, the sheriff said that so far, the only issue he has encountered is making sure the chest-area seat belt doesn’t obscure the camera lens while driving.
The body camera remains powered-on during an officer’s shift, but must be manually switched on to record action. Lt. Shorter explained that the camera itself has the ability to store a day’s worth of footage. When the officer’s shift ends, the officer returns to the station and utilizes a docking station to download the shift’s videos into the county server. The in-car cameras and the new body cameras are from the same company and smoothly integrate into a single file for court use in specific cases. Videos are categorized to be removed from the system at specific points in time depending on what was recorded. For instance, footage obtained while teaching officers to use the equipment will be removed quickly.
In further business, the commission agreed to approve an addition $3000 of CARES Act funding to the $7000 already allotted for public health campaign ads. McKay reported that Clay County’s first vaccine shipments will be from Pfizer and will be earmarked for medical/care staff and those with chronic conditions making them especially vulnerable to Covid-19. She has been informed that the Pfizer vaccine should arrive by mid-December. Moderna vaccine will also be shipped later in the month. Both vaccines will require two doses. Vaccine for the general public is not expected until sometime in 2021. McKay and her staff reminded the public that masking, social distancing and avoiding large group events remain the only way to protect from the corona virus.
City Administrator Stephen Larson noted that December 1 is the final day for distribution of CARES Act funds. At the end of the day on December, the entire $7,843,443 Clay County CARES Act Funding Allotment will have been spent. The committee’s work continues as they supervise organizing documentation of spending for a future audit.