Montezuma County Sheriff Hopes to Purchase New Body Cameras for Deputies

Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin would like to spend about $100,000, much of it grant money, over five years to buy 20 body cameras for his deputies. On Monday, he told the county commissioners the department’s current body cams are fragile and tricky to download. Commission Chair Larry Don Suckla initially was skeptical, citing a Washington Post story that said cameras do little to deter excessive use of force. Nowlin agreed that policies, training and hiring practices are the most important ingredients of good law enforcement. But he said a camera is a tool that can be very useful. Nowlin said he preferred one brand,  Axon, that includes its own data-storage system. After county attorney John Baxter said body cams could discourage lawsuits, Suckla said he was  persuaded because of his faith in Baxter’s judgment.