Nearly one year into the Lee County Sheriff's Office's five-year deal with Motorola body-worn cameras, the sheriff reflects on the $2.5 million purchase.
The department was one of the last in our area to make the purchase after many years of questioning and some backlash.
"I had naysayers trying to attack, 'well the sheriff is waiting, he doesn't want to do body cameras,' it was never that I didn't want to do it... I was waiting for some federal funding and grants," says Sheriff Carmine Marceno. "It's a 2.5-million-dollar investment. I don't want to just buy something that's not the best, so I have to be fiscally smart."
In October of 2023, Sheriff Marceno announced they bought 615 body-worn cameras (BWC). He told us then; rollout would be completed in three phases.
To date, the sheriff's office says 585 deputies, lieutenants, sergeants, and some specialty units are equipped with BWCs. LCSO says the remaining 30 cameras are backups for the ones on the streets.
The BWCs have had many positive aspects, including capturing many heroic rescues from rollover crashes, missing people, and canal chases.
The cameras have also helped keep the department transparent.
In January, LCSO's internal affairs division received a complaint regarding Deputy Tyrese Jackson taking money during a traffic stop.
"99.999% of the time, we always go out there with a good heart to do the best we can, but when we identify someone like that, we immediately take action, and we get them out of there," says the sheriff.
Following the report, LCSO says they immediately placed Jackson on administrative leave and started a criminal investigation. Jackson later resigned from the department.
When on duty, the sheriff's office says Jackson was equipped with a body-worn camera.
Detectives reviewed approximately 120 hours of his footage and said they believe he 'may have stolen money from several wallets and purses of those he came into contact with during his shifts.'
Documents also say at times, they believe Jackson would manipulate his body-worn camera during interactions to prevent certain things from being recorded.
Sheriff Marceno says it appeared he would specifically move his body in front of the camera so it would block what he was doing.
However, they had enough evidence and alleged victims to charge him.
"We can't predict when that happens; someone can pass the medical, physical, background, psychological... they can do everything right and then, God forbid, go out and do something wrong," says Sheriff Marceno.
To keep track of everyone and everything, LCSO says they randomly and regularly review BWC recordings.
In August, the sheriff's office told NBC2 that they believe around 1,000 videos in the system are being reviewed every day. LCSO says they have full-time personnel who review these videos.
"We're not looking to get anybody in trouble; we just want to make sure, number one, we safe, and if we need to train, change policies, we able to do that, but if someone is committing a criminal act, we not going to tolerate that," says Sheriff Marceno.
The body cameras are used to keep the sheriff's office transparent and the community safe.
"It's an educational thing for the deputy, maybe it's getting a training video out, maybe it's getting the precincts, retraining and reaffirming our policies and our stances, but make no mistake, that transparency radiates through the community," says the sheriff.
Deputies say they often review their own cameras and take notes on how to improve for the future.
With a sample size of just under a year, NBC2 asked the sheriff if he thinks the BWC has helped keep the community safe overall or hurt the department.
"I absolutely without hesitation say it's one of the greatest things we've ever done, it's being fully transparent, and it's ensuring that if we have an incident, we can go back and see if we need to take action," says Sheriff Marceno. "I'm glad to say the BWC's give me that peace."