The Bowling Green Police Division could have a new body camera system up and running as early as the
second half of this year.
Mayor Mike Aspacher made the announcement during Monday’s council meeting.
Approximately $125,000 was placed into the city’s 2021 budget for body cameras. During a budget review
meeting held late last year, Municipal Administrator Lori Tretter noted that “there will be ongoing
costs related to the software and other components to maintain the system.”
She said at that time that the police division had itself supported acquiring the cameras and that while
the BGPD had previously recommended them, “funding had not been previously prioritized because of the
rather large initial and ongoing costs.”
At Monday’s council meeting, Aspacher noted that the police division was successful in securing a grant
to help with the funding of the body camera system, and he thanked Police Chief Tony Hetrick and his
staff for their efforts.
“Additionally, the chief had mentioned this afternoon that they are in the process of identifying the
equipment that needs to be purchased,” Aspacher said. “There will be training involved,” and the system
could potentially be online in the second half of this year.
Also at the meeting, council:
• In the wake of the weekend’s snow storm, heard a discussion from Tretter regarding snow emergencies and
snow removal processes in the city. Snow emergencies are called in the city when two inches or more of
snow has fallen, and cars on designated streets must be removed to allow for snow removal. Cars that do
not do so by the designated time can be towed.
This weekend’s snow emergency lasted 24 hours, Tretter said. Answering a question from Councilman Jeff
Dennis, Tretter noted that during that period 27 cars were ticketed and towed, and 22 received a ticket
only. She compared those numbers to the light-snow winter of 2019-20, in which 13 cars were towed, and
the harsher winter of 2013-14, when 175 cars were ticketed and towed, and 354 were ticketed only.
• Heard from Planning Director Heather Sayler that in 2020, the department had 405 permits, just off of
the 414 received in 2019. She noted that fences and pools were popular permits in 2020.
• Heard from Community Improvement Committee Chair John Zanfardino that the committee had received a
draft from the administration for a rental registration ordinance, and scheduled a committee meeting for
March 1 at 6 p.m. to discuss the draft.