Our Take: Cost of new police guns small price to pay …

A recent purchase by the Dublin City Council has gotten a little attention around town. 

Last week the council approved the purchase of new Glock pistols for the police department to replace their less than a decad-old current sidearms. The new weapons set the city back about $57,750. According to Police Chief Keith Moon, the current handguns, bought in 2015, are staring to show some wear and tear. 

The purchase cost includes sights, lights and holsters.

Does the police department really need new guns? Probably not. Glocks, especially police issue, are reliable objects. If properly taken care of those weapons would last a lifetime, preferably in the holsters of the the officer they belong to. 

However, the new firearms come with an additional feature. When removed from the holster the firearm will automatically activate the bodycam worn by the officer, keeping track of their every move while their weapon is drawn. This removes the need for manual operation, something that can be forgotten in the heat of the moment. 

Police officer-involved shootings, rightly so, receive more scrutiny now that ever before. There have been too many to keep track off; unfortunately not all of them are justified and others have involved cases of mistaken identity. At the core of investigating these shootings is the bodycam footage of officers involved. 

There’s a lot of talk about fake news and misinformation these days, but cameras don’t lie. In the delicate, sometimes dangerous, situations that our police officers too often find themselves in, having the camera rolling is a win-win for us all. 

In the event that Dublin police officers have to pull their sidearms (and we hope those situations remain few and far between), their every action will be taken down. It protects them and further protects those who they have sworn to protect by keeping them accountable should their actions need a second look. 

Nine years from now we hope these new Glocks have little wear and use, but at the end of the day $57,750 is a small price to pay for the truth should you ever need it.