The manufacture — Motorola WatchGuard — will be on-site the first week of June to complete set up, implementation and training, Hill said in an email.
“From there, department will provide about a 7-day equipment familiarization period and if all goes as scheduled will be fully operational week of June 14,” he added.
Oakwood City Manager Norb Klopsch said the cameras “will be a great addition to our public safety department — for the protection of our officers as well as all of those with whom we interact.”
Oakwood officials have said they estimated it will cost about $120,000 to buy seven in-car and 23 body-worn cameras to equip its officers.
Oakwood made the decision to buy the cameras buy last fall, joining a growing number of area law enforcement agencies — Dayton, Kettering and Montgomery County among them — seeking to increase transparency and accountability.
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office deputies began using body cameras in April after months of work implementing the tool, Sheriff Rob Streck has said.
The Dayton Police Department said earlier it had planned to equip officers with body-worn cameras by mid-May, a recommendation from a Dayton police reform group started after the death of George Floyd last year while he was in Minneapolis police custody.
A message left with Kettering police on its status with using body-worn cameras was not returned. This week West Carrollton City Council also voted to buy body cameras for its police department.
Other area law enforcement agencies using them include Beavercreek, Huber Heights, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Tipp City, Trotwood and Xenia, records show.
Oakwood’s decision was influenced by the protests and violence against law enforcement after the Floyd’s death, Hill said earlier.
“When you’re talking about department transparency, public trust and officer accountability being the three most critical components as we move forward, I think this is a big step,” he said.
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