Beginning this month, uniformed members of the police department will be equipped with body worn cameras (BWC) while on patrol. BWCs are a highly effective tool in enhancing public confidence through increased accountability, improving officer and community safety, and strengthening police-community relations. BWCs provide an unalterable audio and visual record of observed evidence at the scene of a crime, police-citizen interactions, or use-of-force incidents. The BWC is compatible with, and will be used in conjunction with the in-car camera system that the department implemented six years ago. It is the policy of the department that officers activate the BWC when such use is appropriate to the proper performance of his or her official duties, and where the recordings are consistent with BWC policy and the law, to document all contacts with citizens involving enforcement activities, investigative stops, vehicle stops, or any contact with a citizen involving an official police response or interaction in the performance of official duties. Whenever possible, officers will inform individuals that they are being recorded. In locations where individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy such as a restroom or locker room, the BWC will not be activated, or if previously activated, the BWC will be turned off upon entry unless exigent circumstances prevent such immediate deactivation.
