Court Case Forces Camera Purchase

Mount Pleasant is spending $95,000 to comply with a July South Carolina Supreme Court ruling on police video cameras.

In July, justices ruled the town wasn’t living up to 1998 rules that require DUI arrests be recorded. The town had been installing the cameras in each cruiser gradually, but the court ruled that it wasn’t moving quickly enough.

On Wednesday, the council voted to move forward with the purchase with a midyear budget amendment that funds that purchase and other unexpected expenses.

The town is adding the cameras to 48 police cruisers, according to Charlie Potts, town chief financial officer. The town has been adding the digital video cameras since the rulling. Wednesday's action formally funds the ongoing purchases.

Over the summer, the Supreme Court tossed a Mount Pleasant DUI case because the town hadn’t recorded the incident. State law requires the cameras as proof that the DUI suspect’s behavior matches what police allege.

Mount Pleasant aggressively pursues DUI arrests. The town led the state in drunk-driving arrests from 1998 to 2008, according to a Post and Courier story.