Bodycam manufacturer offers free trial to sheriff's office

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By Blaine Tolison

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The largest manufacturer of police body cameras is hoping for a return on its investment.

Axon, formerly Taser International, is letting law enforcement departments try the technology for free.

The Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office is reviewing the deal from Axon, a free one-year trial of body cameras.

Officials at the state level said it's a long-term commitment with serious costs.

Axon CEO Rick Smith mentioned the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office on the CNBC show “Mad Money.”

"Since we announced today, the Mecklenburg County sheriff in North Carolina is signed up. They're ready to go," Smith said.

Officials at the Sheriff's Office said Thursday that they haven’t signed anything, but they are reviewing the offer.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department spent $7 million on body cameras in the last two years and an Eyewitness News investigation in February revealed that they led to 44 internal investigations.

Not all police departments can afford the hefty price tag, which is mostly for data storage and not the cameras themselves.

Gov. Roy Cooper's crime commission said Thursday that body cameras include a recurring cost.

"I think it could be a great tool,” he said. “I think agencies need to be very much aware as to what they're getting into."

Some police departments in the state have been hesitant to purchase body cameras, even with grants, not knowing if they would be a good fit for their departments.

The governor's crime commission awards state and federal grants for body cameras, but officials said that if the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office takes advantage of the free one-year trial from Axon, it wouldn't qualify for the grants.

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