ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Probation officers in Monroe County will be equipped with body-worn cameras and Tasers. The county Legislature Tuesday unanimously voted to amend the capital budget to add the cameras and tasers, and approved issuing $600,000 in bonds to pay for them.
An increasing percentage of the 5,000 or so people currently on probation in Monroe County have been convicted of gun-related crimes. While about half of probation officers carry guns, they also want to have a non-lethal option.
In his recommendation to the Legislature, County Executive Adam Bello noted that probation officers have a unique mission but face the same risk and needs as other law enforcement agencies, but aren’t similarly equipped:
“With the proliferation of cameras in society, the public has grown to expect that its law enforcement officers will be equipped with body worn cameras to ensure transparency during community interactions and critical incidents. Additionally, it is an expected practice that officers who carry firearms be equipped with a less than lethal option that they may employ under the appropriate circumstances thereby reducing the likelihood of serious injury or death to a suspect from a gunshot wound.”
At least initially, 30 body-worn cameras and 30 Tasers will be purchased. The cameras will be shared among officers who do home visits.
The Legislature votes were unanimous in favor, though some legislators raised questions over privacy — as probation officers sometimes have conversations with those they supervise about sensitive issues — and the security of the footage.
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