Body cameras worn by Erie County Sheriff's deputies have both their benefits and drawbacks, Sheriff Tim Howard told members of the Erie County Legislature on Thursday, but their cost shouldn't take priority over purchases like a new helicopter or SWAT team equipment.

Howard said that during the body cam pilot program, which began in the fall of 2017, 13 deputies participated, mostly in patrol district and in the Rath Building in downtown Buffalo.

Anytime an encounter happened, the cameras were activated and there no incidents where the cameras should have been turned on but weren’t.

The sheriff said cameras can provide evidence to back up police reports and improve officer behavior while reducing public complaints. However, he said body cameras can also act as a deterrent for the public to provide info to officers, and the fact that cameras have a wider field of vision than the human eye means that footage can be misleading when examining responses to high-stress situations.

This could be a $1 million yearly investment between equipment and video storage, a price Howard said his department will not foot on its own if it takes priority over other expenses.

"It's taxpayers money we're talking about here and what is the real cost savings with results from this?” asked Howard. “To take money away from another initiative is this where it would be better spent."

"Transparency is key when it comes to public safety,” said Erie County Legislature Majority Leader April Baskin. “You can't put a dollar amount on a road deputy's protection or civilian protection when it comes to a malpractice so I think we need to make it a priority."

There are grants that the sheriff's office will look into to offset costs of a body camera program, but those aren't a guarantee. The sheriff's office does not want to rely on grants to fund something that will be a yearly cost.

The legislature hopes to have further meetings about body cams in the future.