Technology is changing the role of law enforcement across the nation on a daily basis. As part of that technological revolution, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is moving closer to the deployment of Body Worn Cameras (BWC) for deputies. Recently, the Board of Supervisors (BOS) requested the department
provide a plan
for BWC by November.
ALADS has long supported issuing BWC to all patrol and jail deputies. We believe this equipment will serve to protect them from frivolous complaints and help prosecute criminals who gas or attack deputies while they work in the jail or on patrol.
Despite their usefulness, BWC have limitations. Recordings are two-dimensional, potentially hindered by frame count, limited to a single perspective and other technical limitations. They are a useful addendum to the observations and recollections of deputies and other witnesses and are not by themselves a complete documentation of an incident. The Sheriff's Department completed a two-year body camera
pilot program
last year and is still reviewing the data collected. While the test was promising, it was only limited to a few deputies at a few stations. Before such a program is implemented department wide, there will have to be a commitment for proper training and funding in order to ensure the success of a future BWC program.
Agencies around the country are being forced to shelve recently implemented BWC policies because legislators failed to anticipate the enormous costs associated with implementing a BWC program. While everyone can agree on the utility of BWC, not everyone can agree on how to pay for it. Our elected officials have a duty to allocate realistic funding from the county to initiate and maintain a BWC program and not expect the Sheriff to find funding in his current budget. Outfitting nearly 3,000 personnel with BWC technology, including downloading and storing the footage, along with more complex issues relating to privacy rights and public access to recordings will cost
millions
of dollars a year. Given the significant staffing shortfall that currently exists on the department - getting any training for a BWC program will be a challenge. A project of this import demands the Board of Supervisors provide the necessary funding so we can get it right the first time.
ALADS recently met with the Sheriff and some of his staff to discuss the BWC program. We relayed our concerns and our desire for it be done right. We look forward to sitting down with the Sheriff again to make sure the common sense concerns of deputy sheriffs are heard before he presents his report to the Board of Supervisors. Rank-and-file deputies want any proposal the BOS considers to take into account critical policy issues and the storage and management of 3,000-5,000 hours of video per day. While we fully support the
use of law enforcement body cameras, they must be deployed within a framework of providing proper funding, training and sound policies.
My next blog on BWC will discuss critical policy issues.
