The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office will begin testing body cameras for its deputies early next year.

Authorities have entered into an agreement with Axon for a field test and evaluation program for the latest technology in body worn cameras, Sheriff Mike Hale announced on Wednesday.

The sheriff said the program will begin in early 2018, once the equipment has been delivered. The body cams will be deployed to 50 deputies chosen from a variety of sheriff's office divisions.

The testing phase is a no-cost trial, and authorities will be looking at the equipment durability, the east of use, maintenance and data storage costs. The sheriff's office has never before used body cameras, believing that the cost would decrease and effectiveness improve after the first-generation of the technology.

"Most new technology changes and improves a great deal from the first generation. On an investment this large, we didn't want to run out and purchase equipment that we would have to turn around and replace when newer, better technology was created. and cost had come down,'' Hale said. "Now is the prudent time for us to test this next generation technology in regard to equipping our personnel."

There are more than 500 deputies. Authorities said if they are satisfied with the newer technology, they would phase it in beginning with patrol deputies.

Supporters say recording encounters between citizens and cops reduces police violence and protects officers by providing supervisors, judges, and reporters objective evidence of incidents. Skeptics point out body cameras create privacy concerns for both cops and citizens, and the costs are prohibitive.

"I think we know now that body cams are not the be-all-end all everyone claimed. The push for them made a lot of money for the companies selling them, but I think we found that across the country law enforcement professionals that wore them were just that, professionals,'' said Chief Deputy Randy Christian. "We have always had a special relationship with the people we serve here in Jefferson County built on trust. That hasn't changed. We want to look at these because what we are seeing is this equipment can be very beneficial for court, many times having a defendant go ahead and plea because of evidence captured on camera. That alone may be worth the investment. "