DEPARTMENT: Police
DEPARTMENT HEAD: William P. McManus
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Police Body Worn Cameras
SUMMARY:
At the request of the City Council, the San Antonio Police Department has conducted a pilot program to explore and assess the viability of deploying Body Worn Digital Recording Systems (BWDRS), commonly referred to as body cameras, within its ranks.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
SAPD has installed mobile video and voice recording equipment (COBAN) in marked patrol vehicles. This equipment has the capability to gather video evidence as a recording of officer and citizen interaction from the perspective of the patrol vehicle.
Body worn cameras are a relatively new development in policing and the subject of significant discussion in the law enforcement and civil liberties communities. Current events across the nation have brought this issue to the forefront.
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 San Antonio Airport Police adopted and issued body worn cameras in Spring of 2014.
Historical
Proponents of body 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
SAPD initiated its body cameras pilot program in March of 2014. During the pilot program six different models of body worn cameras were evaluated based on studies conducted by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Each vendor provided 25 for testing and the equipment was issued to officers from the Downtown Bike Unit and the Westside Patrol Substation. The pilot was designed to gather data on the technology's effects on citizen and police behavior/accountability...
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