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Date: 08/07/20 Revision: 12/01/25 Reviewed: 12/01/25 HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE CHAD CHRONISTER , SHERIFF STANDARD OPERATING PROCED URE Number: GEN 502.00 Page: 1 of 16 SUBJECT: BODY WORN CAMERAS (BWC) AND MOBILE VIDEO RECORD ERS (MVR) * I. PURPOSE : The purpose of this standard operating procedure is to establish guidelines and procedures , in accordance with Florida Statute 943.1718, for the use , maintenance, and storage of body worn camera (BWC) and Mobile Video Record er (MVR) system s and the data recorded . * II. SCOPE : This procedure shall apply to all Sheriff’s Office personnel utilizing or maintaining BWC and/or MVR systems or the data recorded . III. DISCUSSION : The Sheriff’s Office is committed to ensuring the citizens of Hillsborough County receive the best possible law enforcement service and protection. BWC and MVR recordings have been demonstrated to be of value in the prosecution of traffic and criminal offenses, gathering of evidence, protecting sworn law enforcement personnel from false accusations, training, and to ensur e transparency of law enforcement activity. BWC and MVR systems will be assigned to sworn law enforcement personnel , specified herein , to assist in the performance of their duties by providing a recorded account of an incident. The Sheriff’s Office recognizes that a BWC or MVR may not capture e verything sworn personnel see, hear, or sense , or what their knowledge and experience convey to them . The recollection of specific details may differ from what is depicted in a BWC or MVR recording . BWC and/or MVR recordings may be considered or utilized during administrative and/or criminal review of events as one piece of evidence to determine if Sheriff’s Office policy or law violations occurred . Florida Statute , Chapter 934 , regarding Security of Communications and Surveillance does not apply to BWC or MVR recordings made by law enforcement agencies that elect to use these systems . IV. DEFINITIONS : A. Active Recording - When a BWC or MVR is recording a live audio and video feed. * B. Automatic Activation - Include s Bluetooth triggers that will activate a BWC or MVR without manual intervention to include , but not limited to : vehicle triggers (crash detection, gun lock, light bar, rear doors on caged vehicles ), signal sidearm, and /or TEW (Taser Energy Weapon) triggers . C. Body Worn Camera (BWC) - A portable electronic recording system which captures and records audio and video data that is individually worn by assigned and trained sworn personnel . * D. BWC/MVR System Administrators (SA) - Supervisors within the Professional Standards Bureau with full administrator rights and responsibilities as described in this standard operating procedure. E. Buffering Mode (Standby) - A BWC and MVR mode that is powered on but is not active ly record ing. When the BWC and/or MVR is activated to record , it is taken out of this mode and will retain one minute of pre -activation video data. GEN 502.00 12/01 /25 Page 2 of 16 F. Category - Means of identifying and grouping similar types of BWC recordings including , but not limited to : Alarm Call ( with no crime); Baker Act; Child Abuse/Neglect; Citizen Contact ( no LEO action); Degree of Crime; DUI; Elder Abuse/Neglect; Felony involving Death; Fraud; Injury in the Line of Duty; Juvenile Offender; Missing Persons/Runaways; Pursuit ( vehicle or foot); Search Warrant; Street Encounter; Traffic Crash ( citizen); Traffic Crash ( involving death); Traffic Stop; Training; and Use of Force. Categories are used to set retention period s and viewing permission s. * G. Compliance Review – A monthly documented s upervisor review of the BWC and MVR for functionality and appropriate categorization and/or documentation of recordings . H. Deactivation - Once the BWC and/or MVR is actively recording, sworn personnel may end or turn off the active recording and place the device back into buffering mode. I. Digital Evidence Management System - A cloud -based s torage server which stores digitally encrypted data from BWCs and MVRs and is accessible to designated personnel. J. Docking Station - A charging device for a BWC which also cause s BWC recordings to upload to a storage server. K. Evidentiary Recording - A recording by a BWC or MVR of an incident or encounter that could prove useful for investigative or other purposes, such as a crime, arrest , citation, search, a use of force , a confrontational encounter with a member of the public , or any event that may give rise to civil litigation . Evidentiary recordings are usually further categorized by specific incident type, and the retention period is governed by Florida evidentiary rules and public records laws. L. Manual Activation - When the BWC or MVR recording function is activated by sworn personnel which causes the device to begin actively recording audio and video data. M. Metadata - Specific information, whether captured by the system or by the user, used to identify recordings including , but not