Sheriff's office proposes new camera system

Chief Deputy Jesse Anderson of the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office presented plans to the Eddy County Commission Tuesday for updating body cameras and in-car video systems for the department.

Anderson said the cameras the county is using now are low quality and the customer service is not good. The 1-year warranty expired in 2023 and the cameras have not been working at all sometimes, causing issues when prosecuting cases.

Eddy County State’s Attorney Ashley Lies spoke of a recent DUI case in which the cameras were not working during the traffic stop and arrest. She said that it makes the county look bad when the cameras do not work, as the defendant implies that the department made mistakes they didn’t want to have on tape.

Anderson presented a quote from Axon, a reputable company that offers a 5-year warranty on all the new equipment. The cost of the new system is $77,788.40. He outlined a 5-year payment plan at $15,557 per year. Anderson said he intends to approach the local gaming organizations for help covering the costs. Installation is expected to occur in 2025.

Local officials and courthouse staff are getting serious about cybersecurity. Eddy Couny Emergency Manager Lisa Thompson was also on the agenda at Tuesday’s commission meeting, first to talk about two programs offered by the state’s technology contractor, NRG. The first, KnowBe4, is a cybersecurity training program and simulated phishing platform. Staff email programs will have a phishing alert feature that flags potentially damaging emails so they can check for threats before they open them.

All staff will complete an hour-long onboarding process to get them acquainted with the new system.

The county will also undergo a complete Security Risk Assessment to identify potential threats to its IT equipment, data and records. Thompson said both programs are all offered at no additional cost to the county, and grant funds are available to make further upgrades once the county completes the risk assessment. She made note of a few areas in the basement she would target first to secure funds for upgrades and advanced security features.

The county commission approved a Cybersecurity Annex, which was prepared by Thompson using a model she acquired from a colleague. The annex will now be attached to the Courthouse Security Plan so employees and county officials have a plan in place to monitor, identify and respond to cybersecurity threats.

Thompson also presented two zoning-related items to the commission. The first was the Eddy County Floodplain Model D Ordinance, which the zoning commission recommends that the county implement. It meets all the minimum requirements for FEMA and the State of North Dakota, she said.

Per the ordinance, Thompson acts as the Flood Plain Administrator and the zoning commission is the appeal body. She said with five or six new builds occurring in the county right now, she has been working to establish new protocols for review and approval of construction plans with Kristy O’Connor, who is the first contact for zoning, and Candace Berg of Lake Region District Health Unit, who must review and approve onsite wastewater systems.

The second is an “emergency provision” that would allow a property owner to request a variance in circumstances where the only option is to build closer than minimum setbacks allow. Thompson said they are working on language that clearly outlines when the provision would apply and the protocol that must be followed for review and approval of such requests.

`A hearing will be held to receive public input on both the Model D Floodplain Ordinance and the emergency provision, and all the details will be published in the Transcript once the date is set.

Road Superintendent Todd Weber reported that the repairs to Munster Bridge are complete. He is working with township officials and rural residents to ensure all county and township road ditches are mowed before winter. “It’s going to be an issue,” he said, noting that as of the official Oct. 1 deadline there was still work to be done, particularly in Hillsdale and Tiffany townships. “You don’t know how many working days you got until it's over,” he said. Priority has been placed on bus routes, mail routes and residents’ routes to work, which means a majority of roads need to be mowed “decently” in order to keep them open during and after snow events.

In other business:

• Commissioners approved a new retirement plan option for law enforcement officers. The plan is offered by NDPERS, the state’s benefit program for public employees. All law enforcement staff will have the option to choose the new public safety plan or stay with the main plan offered to all employees.

• With no residents attending the public hearing on the 2025 budget, the commission approved the budget, which calls for levying $1.87 million in property tax and a total budget of $6.476 million.

• Commissioners set the sales price for delinquent tax properties, which is equal to the taxes, special assessments and other liens owed against the property.

The next regular commission meeting has been moved to Monday, Nov. 4 at 8:30 a.m., due to the general election on November 5.