DURHAM N.C. (WNCN) – The Durham County Sheriff’s Office is receiving more than $260,000 to add to its camera fleet and bring body-worn cameras into the detention facility for the first time.

In recent years, body and dash camera video has been at the center of some of the highest-profile crimes across many North Carolina agencies.

Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead said the cameras have created more accountability across the board.

“I think it really was a game-changer for law enforcement just like the cell phone, you know. [It] really modernized communication and also gave the public another tool to capture law-enforcement interactions,” Birkhead said. “Law enforcement as a profession is being able to use body-worn cameras in the same manner.”

One year ago, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office received nearly $760,000 from the county to put 138 body cameras on every deputy during their shift and mount dash cameras in cars.

“Having this digital documentation, should someone file a complaint, we can pull the tape,” Birkhead said.

This year, the department will bring in 114 additional body cameras and 26 more vehicle cameras.

Soon, every detention officer will wear a camera while working — a first for the department.

“Now having detention officers with a camera on them will again capture that interaction, it’s just one more layer of us being able to document the interaction,” Birkhead said.