CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There is something missing from most Highway Patrol cars in North Carolina -- video cameras.
"It would be nice to have an in-car camera in every patrol car," said Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Jeff Gordon, but Gordon said they simply don't have the money.
Right now, Gordon said, only 457 patrol cars out of about 1,800 on the road have cameras. That's about one in four.
In South Carolina and Tennessee, almost all troopers have cameras in their vehicles.
Virginia State Police has cameras in about two-thirds of its cars.
Gordon said video cameras would be an important safety feature for troopers and for the public.
"It is a checks and balances. It keeps people in line," Gordon said. "If we have somebody that steps out of bounds, the camera would be there to bring those issues to light."
But putting cameras into all patrol cars would not be cheap.
Gordon said the cameras are about $5,000 each, and the state’s budget is tight.
"With today's economic times, money is a valuable resource that we don't have," Gordon said.
North Carolina lawmakers were genuinely surprised to learn that most patrol cars don't have cameras.
"Needless to say I was shocked when you brought that to my attention and I think it should be brought to the entire delegation and the leadership," said Rep. Beverly Earle of Charlotte.
"It makes sense to me that we do need to have them in there. It's a safety measure for the trooper, but it's also a safety measure for those people who are being pulled over," added House Speaker Thom Tillis of Cornelius.
But as the Legislature gears up for its short session, it's unlikely they will find the money for the cameras.
Sen. Bob Rucho said the Highway Patrol needs to find a way to make cameras fit in its budget.
"I think at some point in time someone needs to tell us why they're not focusing on that and where they're putting the money that they're getting," Rucho said.
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