DEPARTMENT: Police
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Anthony Trevi?o
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT: Police Body Worn Cameras
SUMMARY:
At the request of the City Council, the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) is seeking funding options for the deploying of Body Worn Digital Recording Systems (BWDRS), commonly referred to as body cameras, within its ranks.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Based on the presentation and feedback received at the December 10, 2014 City Council B session, staff has reviewed the pilot program data and is prepared to address the issues and concerns raised by City Council and City staff.
The original deployment is projected to be 251 cameras. The San Antonio Park Police will be equipped with 179 cameras and the San Antonio Police Department Downtown Bike Patrol will have 72 cameras. Initial deployment will be to the Downtown Bike Patrol Unit and the Parks Police. These Units have been selected since they currently do not have video support. The Downtown Bike Patrol does not utilize patrol vehicles and thus does not have access to the Coban in-car system. The Park Police have not been issued Coban in-car systems, and a majority of their operations are on foot, ATV or bicycle.
With the adoption and deployment of body cameras for the Park Police and the Downtown Bike Patrol Unit, an assessment will need to be completed regarding the current inventory of computers and each facilities bandwidth/infrastructure to support the program. The Downtown Bike Patrol office, being part of the pilot program, has enough computers and bandwidth to support the program. However, it has been determined that the Park Police HQ and facilities current computer inventory and bandwidth are insufficient to handle the deployment of body cameras.
SAPD is reviewing several funding options for the body cameras. As part of the General Fund budget, the SAPD would submit a request for improvement in the appropriate Fiscal Years beginning wi...
Click here for full text