VALDOSTA, GA (WTXL) -- A Lowndes County grand jury is recommending deputies start wearing body cameras, after the results of an investigation into an officer-involved shooting from April.
The Sheriff's Office has been looking into body cameras for a few months now, even before the grand jury released its recommendation Friday.
Lieutenant Stryde Jones said there was no particular incident that prompted the office to consider cameras. However, he said the office is making sure it has the best and most efficient technology to equip about 90 of its staff, including deputies and employees at the county jail.
"Law enforcement is a unique profession in that it constantly evolves," Jones said. "Our job is constantly changing. Technology changes. As trends change, we have to adapt to that, and that was simply our motivation -- is try to keep as current with technology as we could and make sure, again, that we are providing the best service possible for our citizenry."
The Sheriff's Office said it's not just the cameras they're evaluating. The technology to store the data from the cameras is also important.
Lowndes County hasn't determined how much the cameras will cost the department just yet, and there's no timeline as to when all officers will start wearing them. However, the office said it's taking the grand jury's recommendation seriously and expects to follow through.
