The City of Fishers will be initiating a program to outfit all police officers with body cams, budgeting the body-cam program as part of the 2019 city budget.

Mayor Scott Fadness, during a Wednesday media briefing on the 2019 city budget proposal, told reporters the city had run a body-cam pilot program this year.

“These body-cams, in our opinion, will do nothing other than ensure that our police officers are adhering to the core values of the department,” said Fadness.

The pilot program allowed the police department to test several different systems and providers.  The video data will be stored on the cloud, not stored on a city system.

In other matters raised at the budget briefing:

–The Allisonville Road lane expansion project will not be completed this year, according to the mayor.  Two lanes will remain open throughout the winter months, with the four-lane construction projected to be completed in the spring of 2019.  Fadness says he expects the Allisonville Road project to be complete before the major work begins next year on State Road 37.  Weather and utility-related issues caused the delays in completing the work this year, according to the mayor.

–As the police department completes its move to the new headquarters building, some city departments will begin their move out of city hall to what has now been named the City Services Building (old police HQ).  The Clerk’s Office, the Controller staff, along with Permitting and Inspections, will eventually all be housed on the first floor of the City Services Building.  The second floor will house the Business Solutions Group (modernization) and the city’s Information Technology staff.  Additional space at City Hall will allow more conference rooms and loosen the tight quarters many city workers have endured.  The new City Services Building will allow citizens and contractors to handle financial transactions with the city on the first floor of the structure, according to Deputy Mayor Elliot Hultgren.