Title
Sheriff’s Office recommending the Board receive and file a presentation on the benefits and challenges involved in the implementation of Body Worn Cameras.
FUNDING: General Fund.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The matter of video evidence for law enforcement agencies has never been more topical than it is today. Body worn cameras (BWC) and other audio/video field recording technologies have proven to increase transparency and credibility as well as reduce false citizen complaints and liability.
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office (EDSO) is evaluating BWCs for patrol deputies and some specialty units. However, BWCs have significant costs associated with implementation, data storage, and maintenance. Pursuant to new legal requirements, there are also additional labor costs required for the manual redaction of audio and video media.
The increasing use of body worn cameras by law enforcement agencies has significantly outpaced the body of research examining the relationship between the technology and law enforcement outcomes. As detailed below, although early evaluations of this technology had limitations, some notable recent research has helped advance our knowledge of the impact of body-worn cameras.
Based on this research the following benefits have been identified:
- Better transparency
o Video footage captured during these officer-community interactions might provide better documentation to help confirm the nature of events and support accounts articulated by officers and community residents.
- Increased civility
o Body-worn cameras may also result in higher rates of citizen compliance to officer commands during encounters and fewer complaints lodged against law enforcement. Citizens often change their behavior toward officers when they are informed that the encounter is being recorded.
- Quicker resolution
o Investigations ...
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