Just over half of the Shelbyville Police Department vehicles are equipped with dashboard cameras.

Shelbyville Common Council member Tyson Conrady (R-5^th ward) has put in motion a way to equip the 15 cars that are lacking video recording capability.

Conrady discussed the need for more cameras at Monday morning’s council meeting at City Hall. The first-time council member is the council’s liaison to police, fire and emergency medical services in the city.

The city currently has 34 officers assigned to the patrol division, according to police chief Mark Weidner. There are 19 dashboard cameras in service now.

“In this day and age, it is (important),” said Weidner following Tuesday morning’s Board of Works meeting. “It is a protection more than anything else. We really do need to be more aware of what we are saying and what we are doing.”

Shelbyville Common Council member Tyson Conrady (R-5th ward) is the council's liaison to police, fire and emergency medical services in Shelbyville.

The city will seek grant money to cover the $75,000 expense ($5,000 per vehicle for 15 vehicles).

“If we can get half (in grant money), I hope the council will be willing to furnish the rest of the finances,” said Conrady. “It’s not a want. It’s a need.”

The Shelbyville police department does not provide body cameras for its officers. There are privacy issue concerns with wearing those cameras, according to Weidner.

“The biggest thing with body cameras is you don’t take the dash cam inside someone’s house,” explained Weidner. “There are no privacy concerns on the road. I wonder just how much resistance you will get when you take body cams inside a house and start filming things that people don’t necessarily want to share with everybody.”

There is more time and expense in dealing with body cameras compared to in-car cameras.

“There is an extreme expense in (body cams) because you don’t just take them out of the box and make them work,” said Weidner. “You have to maintain them. You have to turn them on and turn them off. And when do they go on and when do they go off?”

There is no timeline for the grant process yet.

“I am going to stay on that,” said Conrady. “I feel like this is one of those things where us as a council, we need to make sure that public safety is first.”