by Leah Justice

leah.justice@tryondailybulletin.com

The Tryon Police Department is equipping officers with body video cameras in an effort to protect both officers and those accused.

Tryon Town Council met Tuesday, Dec. 16 and approved spending approximately $7,000 for all seven road officers to have a body camera.

The police department has been testing a camera for the past couple of months prior to council’s decision.

Tryon Police Chief Jeff Arrowood recommended the town purchase Taser brand cameras. Tryon’s police guns are the same brand.

Arrowood said President Barack Obama has recently discussed the federal government spending $263 million over a certain period of time to help agencies purchase body cameras.

Tryon Town Manager Joey Davis said if the town makes the purchase now out of its budget, there is a chance the town won’t get reimbursed through the federal funding.

Commissioner George Baker said Tryon began talking about officers having body cameras before the federal government decided to help and suggested moving forward with the purchase.

Davis said if the federal government helped, it would likely be a 50/50 situation, with a grant paying for half and the town paying for half, as similar federal fire department grants are handled.

Davis also said it appears receiving federal help will be competitive, and not every agency that applies will be funded.

Baker said that didn’t change his motion and at best Tryon would get reimbursed $3,500.

Arrowood said officers will receive training prior to being issued the cameras.

Commissioner Roy Miller, who voted against the motion to purchase the cameras, said he was under the impression council would be getting a demonstration on the cameras prior to purchasing them.

Arrowood said the police department did receive a demonstration from Taser and invited Miller to view video from a body camera of some of the town’s recent traffic stops.

The Tryon Police Department was under fire during a recent meeting when approximately 50 residents and business owners complained to council that the police are overzealous and making unnecessary stops. A petition circulated and was presented to council.

Since, Arrowood, Davis and Mayor Jim Wright have held meetings with business owners to address the issue. The police department was praised during the November council meeting for how it handled the complaints and praised again during the December meeting for its presence at the town’s Christmas Stroll and parade. Council members said they appreciated how officers mingled with participants and businesses and that is how a community police department should present itself.

The Tryon Police Department also held an open house for residents to get to know officers prior to the council meeting Tuesday and plan more open houses in the future.