Correction appended
The Athens County Sheriff's Office is now considering using dashboard cameras rather than body cameras. Here’s some more information on these stories, along with other top news from the past week.
Rob Portman
Sen. Rob Portman, R-OH, was in Athens on Tuesday as a part of his “Countdown to Victory” RV tour.
While in town, Portman spoke to Athens County Republican Party Chair Pete Couladis, Athens County Auditor Jill Thompson and Ohio House of Representatives Candidate Jay Edwards.
The Affordable Care Act served as the one topic of the speech, and Portman said he would fight to repeal the act and “replace it with something better.”
Halloween Security
Those attending the Athens Halloween Block Party on Saturday night should expect to see more law enforcement officers on patrol than in year’s past due to the increased threat of potential terrorist attacks.
“We have a heightened awareness of security given national events regarding terrorist acts,” Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said. “We will have more police officers in what we call overwatch positions just to monitor suspicious activity."
To construct the stages for the events, parking on streets will close around 6 a.m. Saturday, and the streets will close a few hours later, Deputy Safety Director Ron Lucas said.
Sexual Assault Report
For the second time in one week, the Athens Police Department received a rape report.
On Monday, a 20-year-old woman reported that she was sexually assaulted early Thursday morning. The alleged incident occurred around 4 a.m. on the west end of Athens, and is classified as rape, according to the APD report.
Since the start of the Ohio University’s Fall Semester, six alleged sex-related crimes have been reported to local law enforcement. Two have been reported to APD and four to the Ohio University Police Department.
Dashboard Cameras
The Athens County Sheriff’s Department is considering purchasing dashboard cameras instead of body cameras.
Sheriff Rodney Smith said body cameras would cost the department an additional $8,000 to $9,000 per year for licensing and storage fees, while the department’s deputy vehicles are already equipped to hold the cameras.
“Part of the sell is once we buy a car camera, there’s no more expenses,” Smith said. “There’s no docking fees, no licenses, so I’m leaning very strongly towards just the car cameras.”
Other issues with the body cameras, Smith said, include the large amount of footage produced and the publication of private incidents.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the department considering using dashboard cameras, and the article has been updated to clarify that the department has not made a final decision.
