Jasper County plans to install dash cams on vehicles traveling on secondary roads

Sept. 21—Vehicles used by secondary roads workers already have GPS tracking devices installed, but now some will also be equipped with dashcams. The board this week approved a 12-month subscription to Verizon Connect Reveal, software that will not only monitor work but also increase accountability.

Jasper County Engineer Michael Frietsch said Verizon’s NetworkFleet, the GPS tracking software currently used by some vehicles on secondary roads, will be discontinued by the end of the year, necessitating a replacement. Frietsch said the new software is known as Verizon Connect Reveal.

“We identified 47 pieces of equipment — all different trucks, dump trucks, pickup trucks, double cabs, everything like that — and basically we said, we need tracking devices now that will work with this Verizon (Connect) Reveal system,” Frietsch said. “We’re also adding to that … 32 dash cams.”

He added that putting cameras on vehicles allows the secondary roads department to better protect itself from liability issues. Frietsch said the county pays about $470 a month for the current system. The newest system will significantly increase the monthly bill to $1,835.

“But at this point, we’re getting a lot more out of it, and the system is going to be better,” Frietsch said. “I can’t say that this is going to be the end-all-be-all for us. I mean, there are other solutions that counties are using, and I think this … will be a good opportunity for us to look at some other (systems).”

At this point, Frietsch believes the dashcams are an additional insurance policy in case a complaint or claim is filed against a minor road worker in a vehicle. He added that the new tracking system is “significantly better” than what the county currently uses.

“That’s where we are,” he said. “I think a lot of the cost increase is due to the number of vehicles and, of course, the addition of dash cams.”

About 29 vehicles currently have GPS tracking software installed. County records show that dashcams are taking up most of the money. If the county continued to use that many units for its new software package, it would cost just over $1,450. Without dashcams, it would be closer to $670.

Supervisor Brandon Talsma liked the addition of dash cams, especially for snow removal trucks.

“All it takes is one incident this winter, if one of our trucks hits someone else or someone hits one of our trucks,” Talsma said. “This dashcam will pay for itself.”

Frietsch hopes the county will have a work order system by this time next year that can be tracked via GPS. He acknowledged that some employees may not be comfortable with a tracking device in their vehicle, as well as a camera. To him, it’s a county vehicle, not a private vehicle.

Supervisor Denny Stevenson recalled when the sheriff’s office used dashcams. They got employees out of trouble more often than they got them into trouble, he said. As long as employees did what they were supposed to do, he felt there shouldn’t be any problems.