Newton Police Chief Randy Patrick is asking the Newton Board of Aldermen to support the purchase of 10 body cameras to provide enough cameras for his department.
Patrick said the department is in the process of receiving forfeiture funds from the district attorney, which would cover the purchase of five high-definition cameras. He said the district attorney would purchase five more cameras.
“That way I can hold my officers accountable, and I can hold citizens accountable for their action,” Patrick said. “Therefore, we definitely need them.”
Patrick confirmed that these cameras couldn’t be tampered with, and they could interact with the county’s 911 system.
Board attorney Brian Mayo asked Patrick to obtain a second quote because the requested cameras were not from a company that is a sole-source provider or has been awarded a state contract. Once the city has a second quote, they can move forward with the purchase.
Patrick also requested purchasing new computers for the officers and upgrading the server to back up the files. Currently, officers only have one computer to enter reports, and they either have to wait or come back the next day to enter the reports.
Patrick said other computers “what was there was taken.” When asked about why the computers were taken, Mayo said they would need to go into executive session to discuss the reason for that. The board went into executive session later in the meeting to discuss why the computers were taken.
Again, the board requested getting two bids before taking action.
In other business, the board:
• Accepted the resignation of officer Stanley Wash.
• Received three proposals from three different firms for a sewer project. The board was asked to rank the proposals, and Lynetta Cooksey from East Central Planning and Development will present the findings at the next board meeting.
• Approved and will allow Mayor Murray Weems to sign a change order of $3,559.72 that will allow the contractor on the sewer project to have nine more days to complete the project due to weather.
• Reappointed Jhaddaka Leverette to the Newton Municipal School Board.
• Tabled accepting a line of credit to get a second bid.
• Approved the best bid of Morgan Tile for $5,060 to install stone cast flooring with a 15-year warranty for the Newton Public Library. This city will be receiving donations to help offset the cost of the flooring.
• Approved Savannah Martin registration and travel to attend the Certified Municipal Clerk Program April 1-3 in Pearl.
• Approve payment to D & H Construction in the amount of $21,970.46 when funds become available (City Hall Project).
• Approve renewal contract for Pitney Bowes postage machine for $155.76 per month for a 60-month term.
• Will repair the Ford F-250 for fire chief J.C. Collins.
• Approved City Clerk Charlene Evans Savannah Martin to attend the water billing and payroll workshop in Flowood.
• Will pay Neel-Shaffer $1,245 when funds become available on the city hall project.
• Will pay ECCPD $4,210.46 when funds become available on the sewer improvement project.
• Will advertise two weeks for the sale of surplus property in the Newton County Appeal for the sale of vehicles and a piece of equipment.
• Purchased a wheel loader for $105,000, the final purchase price after the lease-purchase agreement was completed. Public works director Fred Snow suggested that the city put a new backhoe on a lease-purchase agreement due to how much it is being used.
