The biggest items in Roanoke Rapids Police Chief Chuck Hasty's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year include equipping the rest of the department with body cameras, electronic fingerprinting equipment and three new employees.

Hasty outlined his requests for the 2015-2016 financial plan before city council during a budget work session this afternoon.

Hasty is seeking $30,000 for body cameras for investigators, administrative officers and himself. “I want to get everyone with body cameras and to have extras if they get broken.”

He is also requesting $25,000 for the MorphoTrak Livescan fingerprinting system, an electronic system that replaces the need to use ink. “We're doing fingerprinting the old-fashioned way,” he said.

With the MorphoTrak system, fingerprints are electronically submitted within 10 minutes to pertinent criminal databases. “We've had success with them in the sheriff's office.”

Hasty is also requesting $150,000 for three new positions — an additional criminal investigator, an additional task force agent and an evidence room technician.

“At times two investigators the last 14 months have worked over 800 cases. They've cleared 352,” Hasty said. “It shows you how busy we are.”

He said the evidence technician is needed to keep the evidence room organized. “There's a lot of evidence that needs to be disposed of. They can help the criminal investigation division on cases as crime scene technicians.”

Hasty is asking is asking for $150,000. “Maybe we can phase it in over several years.”