The Killeen City Council discussed authorizing the spending of nearly $600,000 by the Killeen Police Department for new cameras and technology equipment for police vehicles and at the police headquarters.
If approved at a future meeting, the police department would be able to spend $599,332 for the procurement of replacement mobile data terminals (MDT) and COBAN Edge in-car video systems from GTS Technology Solutions, Inc., as well as for the procurement of cameras and access control hardware at the police headquarters from Stanley Convergent Security Solutions.
Councilwoman Mellisa Brown asked about the video quality that would be captured by the new in-car technology, and Willie Resto, the cityâs executive director of information technology, said the new video would be captured on 720-pixel screens, or high-definition, as opposed to the 480p that is currently captured.
The Killeen Police Department has named a second assistant chief of police for the first since 2017 in line with recent changes within the department.
Alex Gearhart was named to the second assistant position by KPD Chief Charles Kimble on Monday, according to the departmentâs Facebook page.
Gearhart previously held the rank of commander for the department.
In April, longtime assistant chief of police, Margaret Young, retired after 30 years of service. In May, her replacement, Jeff Donohue was named to the position by Kimble. However, that would not be the end of changes within the department.
In June, the police department announced a list of changes to improve transparency and other aspects of the department in response to national outcries for police reform after George Floydâs death by police in Minnesota.