TYLER, Texas — The Tyler Police Department could be getting millions of dollars worth of new equipment - all in the form of upgraded tasers and brand new body-worn cameras.
If approved, the new equipment would be covered by the city budget with a funding price of $2.6 million over the next five years.
Police Chief Jimmy Toler said the department needs this new equipment because their current tools are getting older.
Currently, Tyler police officers are equipped with the AXON Taser X26P, which allows for a single non-lethal shot. But, Toler said it’s time for an upgrade.
"We're almost in the fifth generation of tasers now," Toler said.
The new tasers the department wants to purchase have two shots with different ranges and lasers to increase accuracy.
"This one allows that two shot capability that's used as a de-escalation tool," Toler said. "It has those little red and green lights on it, which allows for short distances like 11 to 12 feet, and allows for 21 to 23 feet on the other one."
The other big purchase would be new body-worn cameras for every officer. The upgrade would store footage on a cloud-based server instead of a removable memory card.
"That'll significantly increase the number of the amount of storage it takes," said Toler. "Using the cloud-based system allows us to retain those for a longer period of time. But, it also puts out there that we don't have to continually add more storage to the city of Tyler's system."
Toler also said he has spoken with city leaders and they all want to emphasize public safety.
"Our number goal from my job and the people work for me is to put tools out there for officers so they can have the best equipment available," Toler said.
The city has already put $34 million aside for the entire department's budget. This proposal is in addition to that, and if approved this coming month another $2.6 million will be funded over five years for the upgrades.
If approved, the police department aims to make purchases starting Oct. 1.