DEPARTMENT: Police
DEPARTMENT HEAD: William P. McManus
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Police Body Worn Cameras
SUMMARY:
Staff briefing regarding the body worn camera pilot program for the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On January 15, 2014, SAPD presented to the Governance Committee information regarding a proposal for a body worn camera pilot program, as well as current technology the department has in place. The Department also briefed the Public Safety Committee about the program during the February meeting.
SAPD has installed mobile video and voice recording equipment (COBAN) in 664 patrol vehicles and will complete installation in the remaining 27 this spring. This equipment has the capability to gather video evidence on offenders as well as improve officer safety and accountability. The San Antonio Airport Police has already conducted a successful body worn camera pilot and will begin using the cameras unit wide by spring 2014.
Body worn cameras are a relatively new development in policing and the subject of much interest in the law enforcement and civil liberties communities. Fort Worth has completed testing and has deployed 200 units to supplement their in-car video. Houston has completed testing with 100 units and is considering replacing in-car video with body worn cameras. Several other cities are still testing the technology, including: Austin, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Corpus Christi, Dallas, and El Paso.
Proponents of these cameras argue that recording police interactions with citizens may help protect police departments from spurious lawsuits, protect citizens from police misconduct, and provide evidentiary support in criminal cases.
However, civil rights groups and legal experts have raised some concerns about this technology. The American Civil Liberties Union issued a brief outlining its concerns about data retention and security, privacy concerns, and the lack of a model policy regulating use of the technology.
The executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) indicated they are two months away from releasing policy recommendations for police departments across the country using body cameras or interested in doing so. The policy SAPD will operate under during the pilot has been modeled after both the SA Airport Police Body Camera policy and the SAPD In-Car Video policy. Key issues addressed in the policy will include the following:
· When to begin and end recording (e.g. at the receipt of a call, or immediately prior to initiating a contact with an individual and until the contact is complete);
· When not to record (e.g. in personal areas, patient care areas of hospitals, when contacting confidential informants or covert personnel);
· Who can access stored records and who can authorize requests to view videos; and
· Video retention and deletion time tables.
During the pilot program, SAPD will test six different models of body worn cameras (150 units - 25 units per model) for six months starting in March 2014. The equipment will be tested by officers from the Downtown Foot/Bike Unit and Patrol Units across the City. The pilot will be designed to gather empirical data on the technology's effects on citizen and police behavior/accountability, evidentiary value, operation feasibility, program costs, compatibility with COBAN, and other factors. SAPD staff will also continue to monitor the results of other cities' pilots, and collaborate with PERF to develop best practices and a model policy. Once field testing is complete, SAPD staff will study the results and prepare recommendations.
The Department has worked with vendors to acquire equipment at no cost. Furthermore, SAPD, ITSD and the vendors are currently working to minimize any additional costs associated with set-up, data transfer and storage, etc. Any costs incurred during the pilot will be taken from current operating funds.
Both the SAPD Labor Relations Committee and the San Antonio Police Officers' Association are assisting in the development and review of the pilot program and will make recommendations to the Chief of Police regarding the feasibility of deploying additional units for permanent use. Should they recommend further deployment, they will also advise the Chief of Police what type of camera should be used, and a timeline for deployment. SAPD will report the results of the pilot program during a City Council B Session in December 2014.
ISSUE:
This is a briefing on the pilot program that SAPD is conducting to determine the benefits, feasibility, and cost of deploying a body worn police camera system for officers from the Downtown Foot/Bike Unit and Patrol Units.
ALTERNATIVES:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This item provided a briefing and no action is required at this time.
RECOMMENDATION:
This item is for briefing purposes only.