Bartholomew jail staff to get body cameras

Bartholomew County is moving ahead with new body cameras for corrections officers in the county jail.

Sheriff Matt Myers said that the camera system in the jail itself works well but there are spots it can’t see, such as inside jail cells. The body-worn cameras will allow better view of staff’s interactions with inmates and what is actually going on in those blind spots.

Myers called it an insurance policy and said the money will come through funds raised in the jail commissary.

The contract for nearly $54 thousand dollars with Security Automation Systems was approved Monday by the County Commissioners. The same company also provided the current jail cameras.

Commissioner Carl Lienhoop said the jail would add 26 body cameras and the county IT department would help to integrate the cameras into the jail systems. They are scheduled to begin use early next year.