Iowa City Police considering different body camera options

IOWA CITY - Officials with the Iowa City Police Department are exploring a cheaper and more efficient alternative for body worn cameras.

Iowa City Police Chief Sam Hargadine has asked the Iowa City Council to repeal a decision made in September to spend $211,000 on 84 digital body worn cameras and a data storage system for the department, according to a resolution in the city's council packet.

The council will vote Tuesday on the requested repeal.

Hargadine said in a Thursday email to City Manager Tom Markus that he attended an October annual International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, where he discovered emerging technology not initially available when the department conducted a request for proposals process for potential body worn cameras earlier this year.

The new technology would work in sync with the department's current dash camera recording software. Using the existing department software for dash and body worn cameras would reduce the initial investment and maintenance fees, he said. Managing a single software platform, as opposed to two, would also reduce staff time needed.

The council approved September a resolution to spend $163,000 on body worn cameras, $38,000 on storage and $10,000 for preparation of space. The purchase would be funded by the department's asset forfeiture program.

The letter does not indicate how much the department save with the new technology.