McLean County Board approves purchase of body cams for sheriff’s deputies, okays two labor agreements

Screenshot from Normal Police Department body cam via Illinois State Police (WJBC file photo)

By HOI ABC

BLOOMINGTON – McLean County Sheriff’s Deputies will soon be wearing body cameras, following the lead of many other police agencies.

The county board Thursday night unanimously approved a nearly $328,000 contract with Axon Enterprise Inc. for 53 body cameras, enough for all of the department’s officers.

Sheriff Jon Sandage said his deputies are looking forward to using the equipment.

Sandage said while other agencies have had body cams for quite awhile, “we took our time and tested several different vendors to make sure we were getting the right product at the right price.”

All Illinois police officers will be required to wear body cams under the new state law known as the “Safe-T Act.”

Union contracts approved

The county board also unanimously approved a four-year union contract with the union representing deputies, sergeants, investigators, and process servers.

They’ll receive 3% pay raises each year, plus a one-time $1,000 bonus.

Officers represented by the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council have been working without a contract since the last one expired at the end of 2020.

The other union contract approved by the board is a four year deal with telecommunicators who work at the Metro McLean County Centralized Communications Center, or METCOM.

The contract calls for a 6% raise the first year, a 3.5% increase the second year, and 3% pay hikes in each of the last two years. Like the sheriff’s deputies, they will receive a $1,000 bonus.

METCOM employees, represented by the Laborer’s International Union of North American Local 362, have also been working under a contract that expired at the end of 2020.

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