4/107.01 Body Worn Cameras: GO-009-14

Question 1

Per Department Policy, Body Cameras are used

Answer 1

As an effective Law Enforcement tool thereby reinforcing the public’s perception of out professionalism and transparency

Question 2

Per Department Policy, Body Worn Cameras (BWC) have the potential

Answer 2

To improve community relations, lower the number of citizen complaints, defend officers against false accusations, increase agency accountability and improve officer training and evaluation

Question 3

What do Body Worn Cameras (BWC) record?

Answer 3

officer-citizen contacts, arrests, and critical incidents.

Question 4

How are Body Worn Cameras also used?

Answer 4

BWCs also serve to enhance the accuracy of officer reports and testimony in court

Question 5

How are Body Worn Cameras effective regarding audio and video recordings?

Answer 5

they enhance this departments ability to review probable cause for arrest, officer and suspect interaction, and evidence for investigative and prosecutorial purposes.

Question 6

Per Department Policy, what are other ways Body Worn Cameras are useful?

Answer 6

BWCs may also be useful in documenting crime and accident scenes or other events that include the confiscation and documentation of evidence or contraband.

Question 7

Per Department Policy, who is required to wear Body Worn Cameras?

Answer 7

All officers hired on or after July 1, 2013 are required to wear a BWC (based on assignment). Officers hired prior to July 1, 2013, may voluntarily wear a BWC

Question 8

Per Department, how are BWCs effective?

Answer 8

BWCs are effective in capturing video and audio evidence for use in criminal and internal investigations, enhance officer training and to ensure public trust.

Question 9

Per Department Policy, officers will activate the BWC when recording all contacts with citizens in the following occurrences?

Answer 9

vehicle stops, person stops (consensual, articulable suspicion or probable cause), all dispatched calls for service involving contact w/citizens (detentions, investigations pursuant of an arrest, suspect interviews), search of persons incident to arrest (if not already activated), search warrants of structures or vehicles, k9 searches requested by patrol officers, code 3 driving, pursuits (primary/secondary officers), any contact that becomes adversarial, transport of code 5 prisoners, any other citizen contact or official duty circumstance at the officers discretion.

Question 10

Per Department policy, are officers required to obtain consent to video/audio record citizens?

Answer 10

Officers are not required to obtain consent to video/audio record (except in the case of victims or witness as addressed below). Whenever practical, officers should inform individuals that they are being recorded.

Question 11

How should formal statements from victims or witnesses be handled regarding the BWC

Answer 11

The BWC will not be used to record a formal statement from a victim or witness

Question 12

Per Department policy if a victim or witness is approached by a victim or witness who are giving first account of a crime officers should ensure that the victim or witness provides the following information, if applicable, in their first account statement of the crime:

Answer 12

need for medical assistance, nature of the incident, identity of the suspect (if known), location of the suspect (if known) description of the suspect, time of the offense, location of the crime scene, identification of possible evidence, activities since the crime took place and identity of witnesses.

Question 13

what must an officer do regarding the recording in the case of crimes, such as sexual assault where sensitivity to the victim is paramount?

Answer 13

Officers must get the explicit permission for recording of the first contact statement from the victim and this will be documented on the recording

Question 14

Per department policy, what should an officer do when a victim is in anyway unsure of the need for the recording to be made or is uncomfortable with the thought of being recorded?

Answer 14

The officer should not record the statement

Question 15

Per department policy, if a victim or witness does not consent to being recorded on any event, what should an officer do?

Answer 15

the officer may consider the option to divert the camera away from the subject and recording only audio

Question 16

Per department policy, once the BWC is activated, recording will continue until the event has concluded; the following are exceptions:

Answer 16

the incident has concluded prior to the arrival of the officer, the incident or event is of such duration that deactivating the BWC is necessary to conserve available recording time, the officer has a reasonable belief there will be no loss of critical documentary information, a citizen has request the officer to stop recording, a citizen with standing has requested the officer stop recording within their home

Question 17

Per department policy, deactivation of the BWC shall occur when?

Answer 17

the event has concluded, victim and/or witness contact has concluded, all persons stopped have been released, once an arrestee has been placed into a vehicle to be transported to a detention facility, except when transporting code 5 prisoners.

Question 18

Regarding BWC, at the beginning of shift, officers will do:

Answer 18

ensure that the issued equipment has a fully charged battery and is functioning properly, notify a supervisor whenever there is a malfunction or damage to the BWC and document the malfunction/damage in PETS

Question 19

If during the shift and officer recording needs to be retained, what will the officer be required to do?

Answer 19

the recording officer will label the recording with the event number in the Title field and the 400 code in the ID field.

Question 20

Per department policy, when should recordings on the BWC be labeled?

Answer 20

recordings should be labeled and/or categorized as soon as practical after the conclusion of the event but no later than the end of the shift which the recording occurred.

Question 21

Where should BWC recordings be documented?

Answer 21

Document the existence of a BWC recording in all of the appropriate documents, i.e., declaration of arrest, arrest report, incident crime report, citation, field interview card, officers report, cad, etc.

Question 22

Are officers required to allow citizens to view BWC recording in the field?

Answer 22

Not allow citizens to review the BWC recording in the field. Citizens requesting to view the BWC recording will be referred to IAB

Question 23

Per department policy, if an officer fails to activate the BWC, fails to record the entire contact, interrupts the recording, or the BWC malfunctions, what should the officer do?

Answer 23

the officer will document the circumstances and reason for that action as a closing comment to the event on the MDT and in any applicable reports.

Question 24

Per department policy, what are the Supervisor responsibilities regarding the BWC?

Answer 24

ensure all BWC officers utilize the cameras in accordance with this policy, ensure any malfunction or damage to a BWC unit is documented in PETS, access BWC recordings during the course of duties in accordance with the INTERNAL DATA ACCESS AND VIEWING section of this policy

Question 25

Regarding restrictions, the BWC shall not be used to record:

Answer 25

any personal conversation of or between other department employees w/o the recorded employee’s knowledge, non-work related personal activity and will not be activate in places where reasonable expectation of privacy exists, major crime investigative briefings w/o ranking ISD/HSD personnel approval, encounters with undercover officers or confidential informants, departmental meetings, workgroups, in-service training, or assignments of an operational or administrative nature. Using BWC for training purposes such as AOST or RBT is not a violation of this restriction.

Question 26

Regarding Internal Access/Viewing, where can BWC be viewed?

Answer 26

on a mobile device, mobile data terminals in patrol cars, and on computer work stations.

Question 27

Per department policy, when can officers view their own BWC recordings?

Answer 27

their involvement in an incident for the purposes of completing an investigation and preparing official reports, prior to court to refresh recollection, providing a statement pursuant to an internal investigation, including officer involved shooting investigations and other critical incidents.

Question 28

Supervisors may view BWC recordings from personnel under their supervision in the following instances?

Answer 28

supervisory investigation following the application of reportable force (except use of deadly force), supervisory response to a citizen request to file a statement of complaint, during the course of an internal investigation forwarded from IAB to the bureau for completion, to assist in appropriately addressing a clearly documented performance issue.

Question 29

Per department policy, how will supervisors access BWC regarding application of reportable force?

Answer 29

will access the video on the scene in the presence of the involved officer(s) through a mobile device, any MDT, or at a computer station in the area command.

Question 30

Per department policy, what will a supervisor do if the officer(s) are unavailable at the scene for reportable force?

Answer 30

the supervisor will review the video with the officer as soon as practical prior to the Use of Force report being completed.

Question 31

where will the supervisor document their review of BWC video?

Answer 31

in the narrative of their investigative comments

Question 32

per department policy, regarding citizen request to file a statement of complaint, when will supervisors interview the complainant?

Answer 32

supervisors will first interview the complainant before reviewing any available BWC video that recorded the allegation.

Question 33

what will supervisor do if the allegation is not a violation of policy or law?

Answer 33

the supervisor will notate in the Blue Team Citizen Contact that BWC video is available, was reviewed, and is one of the justifications for the Citizen Contact Report.

Question 34

what will supervisor do if the allegation appears to be valid?

Answer 34

will notate in the narrative of the Statement of Complaint that BWC video is available, was reviewed, and is one of the justifications for the Statement of Complaint.

Question 35

regarding Access at Critical Incidents, supervisors when safe and practical shall?

Answer 35

retrieve the BWC from the involved and witness officers at the scene. The retrieving supervisor will ensure that all reports on the incident indicate the name and P# of the supervisor.

Question 36

Per department police, following an officer involved shooting, when can the BWC recording be viewed?

Answer 36

may only be viewed prior to being uploaded in Evidence.com when exigent circumstances exist, such as an officer being injured and in order to obtain identifying suspect information or other pertinent information from the BWC recordings

Question 37

Per department policy, who can view BWC recordings in order to assist in an investigation?

Answer 37

FIT/CIRT, and/or IAB personnel

Question 38

Per Department Policy, Internal Affairs Bureau personnel will not access and search BWC recordings for offenses committed by users unless?

Answer 38

unless pursuant to an official complaint

Question 39

Per Department Policy, Juveniles victims or witnesses to a crime will only be recording after?

Answer 39

permission of a parent or legal guardian present at the time of the recording. This permission must be documented on the recording. If consent is not given to being recorded the officer may consider the option to divert the camera away from the subject and recording only audio

Question 40

regarding the category and retention schedule, when does the retention period begin?

Answer 40

the retention period begins from the data the BWC recording was labeled or categorized. Unlabeled or uncategorized recordings will be auto-deleted at 45 days.