Driving Simulator and Body-Worn Cameras

On behalf of all law enforcement professionals in Stark County, Ohio, the Stark County Sheriff’s Office wishes to purchase and install a Law Enforcement Driving Simulator at the Stark County Law Enforcement Training Center. This state-of-the-art simulator will be used to implement a successful driver training program to improve the knowledge and skills of the professional drivers of the Stark County, Ohio, law enforcement community. It has the ability to introduce drivers to challenging situations that target skill development and increase an officer’s situational awareness and critical thinking skills. The Law Enforcement Driving Simulator will give their professional drivers the best opportunity to learn all that is required to safely operate a vehicle. Additionally, the Stark County Sheriff's Office wants to bring the benefits of their existing Body Worn Camera program to the Jail and Civil Divisions. The additional deputies/officers that would benefit include: 13 sworn Civil-Court Services deputies, 26 sworn Jail deputies, and 38 Jail corrections officers. Currently, the Jail Division is sharing 20 body worn cameras between shifts. The Civil-Court Division provides Courthouse screening, multi-court security, and are charged with the service of all court-related documents. The Stark County Jail Division is a 24-hour booking facility for all law enforcement agencies in Stark County. The jail operational capacity is 526 inmates. The Jail Division officers ensure the security of the jail and provide a wide array of services to inmates required by state and federal law. The proposed Body Worn Camera package will include the camera, battery, mount, software, digital evidence collection, and 3 years of support and warranty. The current public climate and perception requires all law enforcement agencies to implement mission-critical solutions designed to protect officers, as well as inmates, employees, and citizens with whom they interact. These solutions, while mission-critical, are many times operationally cost prohibitive.