Policy Text
Policy
Rialto Police Department
Policy Manual 451
BODY WORN VIDEO SYSTEMS
451.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
(a) To provide policy and procedures for use of the portable video recording system
(BWV) including both audio and video recording of field activity in the course of
official police duties.
(b) The use of the portable video recording system provides documentary evidence for
criminal investigations, internal or administrative investigations, and civil litigation.
Officers shall utilize this device in accordance with the provisions in this general
order to maximize the effectiveness of the audio/video documentation to achieve
operational objectives and to ensure evidence integrity.
451.2 PROCEDURE
A. Unauthorized use, duplication, and/or distribution of BWV files are prohibited. Personnel
shall not make copies of any BWV file for their personal use and are prohibited from using a
recording device such as a phone camera or secondary video camera to record BWV files.
B. All recorded media, images and audio from the BWV are property of the Rialto Police
Department and shall not be copied, released, or disseminated in any form or manner
outside the parameters of this policy without the expressed written consent of the Chief
of Police.
C. The BWV shall not be used to record non work related activity and shall not be activated
in places where a reasonable expectation of privacy exists, such as locker rooms, dressing
rooms or restrooms.
D. Officers should be aware of surroundings when operating the BWV, such as in a hospital
emergency room where privacy of patients should be considered when operating the BWV.
E. Personnel will use only the BWV system issued and approved by the Department for
official police duties. The wearing of any other personal video recorder for the same purpose
is not authorized without permission of the Chief of Police.
F. Personnel shall not remove, dismantle or tamper with any hardware and/or software
component or part of the BWV.
G. There are many situations where the use of the BWV is appropriate. This policy is not
intended to describe every possible circumstance. In addition to the required conditions,
officers may activate the system any time they feel its use would be appropriate and/or
valuable to document an incident. Unless it is unsafe or impractical to do so, or mechanical
issues that impede the use of the device are present, officers should make every attempt
to activate their BWV cameras prior to making contact in any of the following incidents:
1. Enforcement encounters where there is a reasonable suspicion the person is involved in
criminal activity. This includes, but is not limited to dispatched calls as well as self initiated
activities.
2. Any other contact that becomes adversarial after the initial contact in a situation that
would not otherwise require taping.
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a. Officers may activate the BWV before or during any other incident at their discretion.
b. An officer shall have the latitude to terminate the recording when there is no likelihood
of force being used or anything else of evidentiary value occurring. It shall be deemed a
violation of this policy for an officer to fail to activate the device or intentionally terminate a
recording in order to commit a violation of law or department policy.
c. Officers shall not use the BWV recording functions to record any personal
conversation of or between another department member or employee without the recorded
members/employee's knowledge or permission.
d. Officers are not required to obtain consent from a private person when:
1. In a public place.
2. In a location where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy (e.g., inside a building
or dwelling where the officer is lawfully present and engaged in the performance of official
duties).
a. Officers are encouraged to advise private persons they are recording if the advisement
may gain compliance, assist in the investigation, and does not interfere with the investigation
or officer safety.
451.3 RESPONSIBILITIES
A. System Administrator
The System Administrator(s) are designated by the Chief of Police and have oversight
responsibilities to include, but not limited to, the following:
1. Operation and user administration of the system.
2. System evaluation.
3. Training.
4. Policy and procedure review and evaluation.
5. Coordination with IT regarding system related issues.
6. Ensure BWV files of evidentiary value are secure and retained per this policy.
7. Ensure BWV files are reviewed and released in accordance with federal, state, local
statutes and City of Rialto/Rialto Police Department retention policy.
B. Supervisory
1. Supervisors will ensure officers utilize the BWV according to policy guidelines.
2. Supervisors are to review recordings only as directed by the Chief of Police and/or his
designee.
3. Supervisors shall ensure videos related to critical incidents are uploaded to
Evidence.com .
4. Supervisors may have the ability to immediately resolve citizen complaints by reviewing
video captured by the BWV. In those circumstances where a complaint is resolved with no
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further action needed, supervisors shall add an additional category of citizen complaint to
the video and make appropriate notes in the notes section of Evidence.com . This will allow
Professional Standards personnel to capture incidents that are resolved by this camera
system.
5. It shall be deemed a violation of this policy for a supervisor to review recordings for the
sole purpose of searching for violations of department policy or law