Will the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office finally have body cameras?

OTTAWA COUNTY — The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office has selected a vendor to equip deputies with body-worn and in-car cameras, a project that has been in the works for years.

Sheriff Steve Kempker announced Tuesday, May 28, that OCSO has selected Axon Inc. to provide “state-of-the-art body camera and dash camera video capabilities nationwide.”

More:Seven years after election promise, Ottawa County lacks body cameras

The department's lack of body cameras was called into question last June after an OCSO deputy fatally shot a man near Jenison. Authorities later said the man pointed a gun at police.

Kempker said in 2016, when he was running for sheriff, that he wanted to have body cameras in place by 2017, WOOD TV-8 reported.

In the county's most recent County Improvement Plan, approved in August, $1,045,000 was approved for vehicle and body cameras, funded by the Ottawa County Insurance Authority. Several new positions related to the body camera initiative were also included in the FY 2024 budget.