ASHLAND — The Ashland County Sheriff’s Office is getting nearly $200,000 from two local foundations over the next couple years for new dash cameras and tasers.
The Samaritan Hospital Foundation in December pledged $141,000 for the purchase of 30 tasers and 10 dash cameras.
That sum — which will reimburse the county’s $103,157.58 purchase in December — will come in the form of four yearly installments through June 2027, according to a document obtained through a public records request from the Ashland County commissioners office.
The Norma Foundation also donated $41,450 on March 13, when Ashland County commissioners unanimously approved of the donation and the Samaritan Foundation’s first installment of $21,000.
Dash cameras
Some of the dash cameras are on their way, said Ashland County Sheriff Kurt Schneider.
“I really wanna focus on having cameras in all the cars. We have body cams … but they only capture so much,” he said.
Schneider said a lot of evidentiary data is missed by not having dash cameras in cruisers. He said a desire to increase transparency with the public is also a factor in wanting all ACSO vehicles to have the cameras.
Deputies will need to be trained on how to use them, but the cost for that is minimal, he said.
“They can come in during a shift and receive hands-on training,” Schneider said, adding the ProVision cameras will run off a WiFi signal.
Once they come within a certain distance to the server, the footage will automatically dump into the software.
“And they mirror up to our body cameras. So they interact with one another,” he said.
The additional dash cams will likely lead to the need for upgrading bandwidth. Schneider said the office is looking into cloud-based storage systems and other options. Nothing is set in stone, however.
Tasers
Schneider said he is “astounded” by the Samaritan Hospital Foundation’s support with buying 30 of what he called “the latest and greatest tasers.”
The foundation was not immediately available to comment.
County records show the sheriff’s office will have Axon Taser 10 models. According to Axon, the tasers can deploy “up to 10 individually targeted probes without the need to reload.”
Schneider said the Axon taser is more accurate and effective.
“Which means there’s a less likelihood for lethal force,” he said.
Schneider referenced an officer-involved shooting that left Larry Dunham dead in August 2023.
The deputies who responded to the Rowsburg house on that day used tasers to attempt to de-escalate, but the tasers missed, Schneider said.
“Maybe that wouldn’t have happened had we had these tasers,” he said.
Schneider hopes to host a demonstration of the new tasers once the office is in possession of them.