Hickman County Sheriff's Office saves $98,000 in one year and transforms safety with Motive AI Dashcams.

Challenge

In the last few years, the cost of patrol cars has skyrocketed from $32,000 to nearly $48,000, putting a significant strain on the budget of the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office. Situated in the rural outskirts of Nashville, the Sheriff’s Office doesn’t have the luxury of a large tax base or excess funds.

“Every dollar we spend goes toward essentials like uniforms, training, overtime, and salaries,” says Mike Doddo, a Lieutenant of Hickman County. “There’s very little left over for safety technology.”

As Lieutenant, Doddo oversees grant programs, training, vehicle maintenance, and the special response team as well as budgetary issues. It’s a lot to manage on a tight budget, and the Sheriff’s Office is always on the lookout for cost-effective safety solutions. Even their body cameras were purchased with the help of a grant.

“Every February, we sit down and plan out our budget for the year,” Doddo explains. “We review everything we need, then submit it to the County Commission, which decides if it’s approved. If we can present something that saves money, like an AI camera system with superior video quality that will help us in court, they’ll grant our request every time.”

With more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement, Doddo is no stranger to outdated technology. Early in his career, he used VHS tapes to document incidents. With today’s advances, cameras are mounted inside patrol cars.

Before switching to Motive, the department used Axon cameras. However, as time went on, Doddo sought a more affordable solution with better image quality. For the department, high-definition video is essential to documenting high-speed chases and suspect interactions. Unfortunately, the Axon cameras were becoming a liability and in some cases unreliable, leading to disputes over what actually happened.

“In this line of work, there’s a saying: If it didn’t happen on camera, it didn’t happen,” Doddo says. “The poor quality of our previous cameras often resulted in cases being dismissed, as the District Attorney’s Office couldn’t verify crucial details, such as whether a squad car’s siren was on during a pursuit.”

Hickman County’s earlier camera solution also lacked real time download. Instead, it saved critical telematics data to a chip. To see the data, Doddo had to download information from the chip, making for a cumbersome process. Through his professional network, Doddo heard about the affordability of and clear visibility provided by Motive AI Dashcams. He decided to give them a try.

Solution

Motive provided the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office with three AI Dashcams to trial. The dash cams were installed in squad cars at different times of day — midnight, morning, and afternoon. Doddo was immediately impressed with Motive’s easy installation and exceptional video quality.

“Motive’s picture quality is far superior to Axon’s, and the cameras are much more affordable,” he says. “Installation was a breeze — it took just 15 minutes per camera. One of our guys installed Motive cameras in four cars in an hour. With Axon, it used to take five or six hours per car.”

One rainy night during the trial, officers were pursuing a suspect who spun out. The Motive AI Dashcam captured footage of the suspect throwing something out of the window. “Even though the vehicle with the camera was about 50 yards away. The camera picked up the object clearly being thrown out the window, allowing us to recover it, and seeing the suspect throw the object out,” Doddo recalls. “That sealed the deal for us with the Motive cameras.”

In another pursuit during the Motive trial, a deputy veered off the road while the AI Dashcam was recording. “The deputy was about 150 yards ahead of the vehicle with the dash cam, but the camera still captured everything — even the dust kicked up by the tires,” Doddo says. “Our chief said, ‘These dash cams are fantastic. The picture quality is outstanding.’”

In Motive AI Dashcams, the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office found the financial savings and reliable video evidence they were looking for. Motive cameras provide continuous recording, allowing officers to recall footage for review from up to 9 days prior and request up to 60 minutes of timelapse video — something the department’s previous system lacked. Previously, Doddo had to manually download telematics data from a chip. 

This has been particularly valuable in emergency situations, where the ability to immediately capture and review incidents is critical. Now, Doddo can quickly access the details of any incident, enabling swift action.

The Sheriff’s Office has equipped each vehicle with two Motive road-facing dash cams. One is mounted on the dashboard, another in the back seat to monitor offenders during and after an arrest. “Motive gives us a real-time view of what’s happening,” Doddo explains. “I can log in remotely to the Motive Fleet Dashboard and see exactly what’s going on in my deputy’s car. It gives me peace of mind.”

One of the most helpful features for Doddo is Motive’s live streaming. “We now have a clear visual of what the officer sees outside the patrol car,” he says. “We can observe exactly what a suspect is doing. Before Motive, we had similar capabilities, but the camera quality was poor, and the video clips took forever to load. With Motive, we have live video and real-time GPS in a single system. If we lose track of an officer, we can pull up the GPS and locate them immediately.”

Doddo recounted a recent incident when Motive’s system sent a real-time collision alert. By quickly accessing the video, Doddo saw that the officer had hit a deer but was unharmed. “Had that officer been incapacitated after hitting another vehicle, I could have radioed for help immediately,” Doddo says. “I could have said ‘There’s been an accident with injuries. Send help right away.’ The live video feed and GPS tracking we get from Motive give us an extra layer of safety and responsiveness.”

The Motive system also gives Doddo access to important vehicle diagnostics, such as fault codes and maintenance alerts. While the Sheriff’s Office had a GPS system that displayed some fault codes, the information provided by Motive is more comprehensive. 

“Our old GPS system wouldn’t pick up certain codes, like issues with the EVAP system, which might only reduce fuel efficiency slightly,” Doddo says. “With Motive, I can see those codes immediately.” 

For Doddo, the Motive cameras are most valuable in emergency situations. “When we arrive at a scene, whether it’s a brawl or an accident, the camera captures everything instantly,” he says. “Because we can easily pull footage and use the time lapse video to quickly find what we need, we’re able to catch things that other cameras miss.” 

Officers can review video from minutes or hours earlier, allowing them to see details that help in cases like burglaries, where an officer was in the same vicinity of the crime. “We can go back and look at earlier videos and say, ‘Wait a minute. There was a black pickup truck there before. Now we know we’re possibly looking for a black pickup truck related to the crime.’”

Motive AI Dashcams are also invaluable for reviewing complaints about officer behavior. When Hickman County gets complaints about officers speeding, it’s easy to verify or dispel those claims. “Motive helps protect officers from unfounded complaints and holds them accountable when necessary,” says Doddo.

Overall, the implementation of Motive AI Dashcams is a reflection of the Hickman County Sheriff’s commitment to modernizing the department and ensuring criminals are held accountable. When the sheriff took office two years ago, he came in with a vision to change how the department operates. 

“The addition of Motive AI Dashcams has allowed us to provide clear evidence to the prosecution, helping to ensure criminals face justice,” Doddo says. “It says a lot about our sheriff that he’s invested in technology that benefits the community and helps the state attorney’s office put the bad guys behind bars.”

Results

In the year since the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office adopted Motive AI Dashcams, the results have been remarkable. Motive’s superior picture quality and continuous recording have drastically improved evidence collection and the legal process. 

“In all the cases where dash cam video has been used, the defendants have pled guilty every time,” Doddo says. “We haven’t even gone to trial. Suspects are taking the pleas, they’re settling cases. Bad guys are going to jail.” With a 100% success rate in these cases, prosecutors have saved a tremendous amount of time and resources by avoiding lengthy trials.

The introduction of the Motive platform has also led to substantial financial savings. Prior to Motive, the Sheriff’s Office spent between $8,000 and $9,000 annually on 38 standalone GPS units. “In our first year with Motive, we’ve saved approximately $98,000, with projected savings over three to five years reaching up to $400,000,” Doddo estimates. “We have been able to remove our old GPS systems, replace them with the dash cams, and roll the cost of the old GPS into the Motive system adding for additional savings” Doddo stated.

With these substantial savings, the department can allocate funds toward more pressing needs, such as new vehicles and equipment. In fact, the money saved from Motive AI Dashcams equates to the cost of two new police cars — an especially significant contribution given that the price of a patrol car has surged from $32,000 to nearly $48,000 in just three years.

Motive’s platform has also helped reduce overtime costs for officers. With more cases being settled before reaching trial, officers spend less time in court and more time on patrol, improving operational efficiency and community safety. Additionally, Motive’s real-time GPS and comprehensive vehicle diagnostics, such as engine alerts and fault codes, have further streamlined maintenance and vehicle management, making it a prudent investment for the department.

“Motive has transformed our department,” Doddo says. “It’s made our officers safer, made it harder for criminals to escape justice, and saved us a significant amount of money. For a law enforcement agency working on a tight budget, Motive just makes sense.”

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