A recent grand jury recommended Meridian Police Department invest in new body cameras and equipment after learning the law enforcement agency was sitting on a surplus of $1 million for the current fiscal year.

The June 2023 Lauderdale County grand jury said it encouraged Meridian Mayor Jimmie Smith and the City Council to work together to purchase the new body cameras, vehicle dash cameras and software with a portion of the excess funds.

“The grand jury was also advised of a grant opportunity that should become available prior to the convening of the next grand jury,” the grand jury said in its report. “Thus, the grand jury recommends the City of Meridian apply for additional grant funding to adequately maintain those new camera systems.”

The report, which was released Friday, is not the first time MPD’s body and vehicle cameras have been discussed. The department originally bought 110 body cameras in 2015 to outfit its then 81 officers.

Meridian Communications Director Ida Brown said neither the mayor or Police Chief Deborah Naylor Young were available on Monday to comment on the grand jury’s findings.

In January, Young said the department’s current cameras are no longer covered by the vendor’s warranty and cannot be repaired or upgraded. At the time, she said, her administration was researching what cameras are available and how much MPD could expect to pay.

In a statement emailed on June 16, Young said her department was looking to upgrade its body and in-vehicle dash cameras in the 2024 fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1. The department has applied for several grants to help pay for the cameras, she said, but the timing of when the funding is awarded and moving through the purchasing process will kick the new equipment into the new budget year.

“Our goal is to purchase enough body cameras for each officer/investigator with a few extras for newly hired officers,” she said.

In addition to cameras for officers and cars, the grand jury recommended the mayor and council provide MPD with funding and resources to update and maintain its facility and adequately carry out its duties. It also recommended the city invest in additional surveillance cameras around town to both deter crime and provide investigators with an additional tool.

The city currently has some surveillance cameras that are part of a 5-year agreement between the police department and Mississippi Power. Young and her administration in March told the City Council that while the cameras have been helpful, not having ownership of the system has restricted how the video feeds can be used to combat crime.

In the March meeting with the council, Young, former Police Chief Benny Dubose and Lt. Patrick Gale presented a plan to install cameras and license plate readers along the main roads in and out of Meridian. The plan also called for six employees whose duties would be to monitor the camera feeds and inform officers of suspicious or illegal activity.

The cost of the camera network was estimated at about $470,000, which is too much to do legally with a single source quote. Should the department decide to move forward with the plan, a detailed request for proposals will need to be drawn up and advertised for vendors to submit bids.

The grand jury recommended the city, council and police department provide an update outlining any steps taken to address the issues identified in its report to the Lauderdale County Circuit Clerk prior to the November 2023 grand jury. The grand jury also recommended the future grand jury follow up on its recommendations to see if progress is being made.