The Cibola County Sheriff's Office has recently acquired a set of new cameras for their vehicles, aimed at improving their law enforcement capabilities. County Manager Kate Fletcher and Sheriff Larry Diaz jointly emphasized the significance of this technological addition.
The new cameras will be outfitted inside CCSO’s vehicles. There will be a forward-facing dash camera with advanced technological capabilities, allowing the cameras to automatically scan license plates to determine whether the car it just pinged has been stolen. This is similar to systems first employed in the Village of Milan and later in the City of Grants which have led to the arrest of several suspects for driving stolen vehicles.
A camera will be mounted in the back of CCSO vehicles, this camera will be facing the passenger cab where an arrested person will be sitting. The camera, according to Diaz, will help to protect the deputies in the event that a restrained person injures themselves or does damage to the vehicle. Fletcher took the idea a step further, saying that the camera will make sure that if there is an allegation of foul play, the county will be able to verify that deputies are following the law and CCSO policies.
According to Sheriff Diaz, deputies will not have the ability to turn the cameras off. They will be rolling so long as the vehicle is turned on. The moment a CCSO deputy’s vehicle returns to the Public Safety Building on the East side of Grants, the cameras automatically start offloading data to the county’s protected servers where they will be stored for 30 days. If the video is not necessary within the 30 days, the video will be deleted.
Under Diaz's administration, CCSO has expanded its patrols across the county. While maintaining their presence in the Village of Milan and the City of Grants, they have allocated resources to areas with the greatest need. Sheriff Diaz pointed out that Grants and Milan already have their own police departments, making it essential for CCSO to focus on other parts of the county.
Fletcher said that the new technology in these vehicles will facilitate the creation of data points to monitor and evaluate the areas covered by patrols. Sheriff Diaz clarified that this data collection is not intended to track deputies but to ensure that the county benefits from comprehensive law enforcement coverage, regardless of how rural the area is.
These in-vehicle cameras serve a dual purpose. They are expected to play a crucial role in safeguarding both the county and deputies from potential legal issues while also upholding the civil rights of individuals who are arrested, according to Fletcher.
The discussion also touched upon budget considerations. Any future budget increases will be attributed to efforts CCSO is using to expand their number of deputies and invest in new radio repeaters, driven by a shared commitment from the county commission to bolster law enforcement in the region.
For years, CCSO’s radios have not worked well, with nothing but static coming through the repeaters. This is not a unique situation for CCSO, GPD, MPD, and all of Cibola’s fire departments have suffered for years with shoddy communication. Fletcher said that the county is working hard to rebuild and construct their systems in a way that not only compliment the modern world but will be useable for decades in the future. “We have a list of wants,” Fletcher said, “We need to focus on our list of needs.” She said that the county is working on a strategic plan which will address many of the infrastructure issues in Cibola, including radio service and law enforcement.
The cameras are part of a broader strategy to enhance law enforcement capabilities and accountability within Cibola County. Sherriff Diaz said CCSO aims to ensure efficient law enforcement services while respecting civil rights and reducing potential legal liabilities.
Fletcher said the population of Cibola is growing, and that the county needs to work hard and efficiently to make sure that the needs of the population are met. She said this is why the government is taking the necessary steps to protect rural parts of the county. She said that the county recognizes the needs of the community, and is taking small steps to check these needs off the list, these cameras are only part of that process.