DuPage County Board approves sheriff's original $2.5 million request for body cameras, Tasers

After gaining support at the committee level, a downsized body camera and Taser proposal was thwarted Tuesday when the full DuPage County Board instead authorized the sheriff's original request for a $2.5 million program over the next five years.

The board's unanimous approval of the contract with Axon Enterprise Inc. brings the county closer to complying with the state's new criminal justice reform legislation, which requires the sheriff's office to outfit officers with body cameras by Jan. 1.

Included in the purchase, funded through reserves, are implementation, storage and acquisition of 180 cameras, 72 corresponding Tasers, Signal Sidearm equipment that activates the cameras if a deputy's gun is unholstered, and virtual reality training.

But several board members expressed frustration over the process by which the measure was passed and components they believe are outside the scope of House Bill 3653.

A nearly $2.1 million Axon contract had been negotiated with Sheriff James Mendrick as a compromise between the office's initial request and the state law requirements, said board member Julie Renehan, chairwoman of the judicial and public safety committee. That proposal, which passed her committee last week and the finance committee earlier Tuesday, reduced the number of new Tasers to 40 and eliminated the virtual reality training.

With the county board set to vote Tuesday on a $545,455 appropriation to cover the first year of the downsized contract, board member Brian Krajewski proposed raising the expense to $632,064 to align with the original $2.5 million deal. After a heated debate, the amended motion was approved 14-3 with dissenting votes cast by Renehan, Mary Ozog and Elizabeth Chaplin.

"Our objective here was to look at the implementation cost of safety legislation," Renehan said. "What we did today was essentially allow the sheriff to get some goodies, and it's going to cost us in the end. ... We're trying to walk a fine line, and we have a duty to fiscal responsibility for taxpayers. I'm quite disappointed."

The body camera program is intended to work in tandem with the Axon Taser technology used by the sheriff's office, Mendrick said in a memo. The 72 Taser devices purchased under this contract, plus 43 previously acquired, will be paired with cameras and distributed to all 115 members of the law enforcement bureau.

The remaining 65 cameras will be "stand-alone units," reserved for other deputies who interact with the public or used as spares for major events, he said.

Though not mandated, Tasers provide officers with an alternative to lethal force, aligning with "the spirit and the intent of the legislation," board member Sam Tornatore said. That was a selling point for some board members initially on the fence about the more expensive contract, which is expected to cost an annual $470,850 in the remaining four years.

Renehan and Chaplin, chairwoman of the finance committee, said anything beyond the specific requirements of the law should be considered as part of the next budget cycle. The county already provides adequate crisis intervention and mental health training, they said, eliminating the immediate need for the virtual reality program.

But Krajewski and board member Jim Zay were strong proponents of maintaining that training component, touted by sheriff's officials as an effective scenario-based platform that could save money in the long run.

The sheriff's office plans to seek a nearly $126,000 state grant to cover the cost of the cameras. Chaplin and Renehan said they are working with county staff members to determine the reform package's total financial impact and develop a more comprehensive funding plan.