Policy Text
Page 1 of 3 10/10 (NEW 9/07)
In-Car Camera Systems
The purpose of this policy is to provide supervisors, officers and the In-Car Camera
(ICC) Technician with guidelin es for the use, management, stora ge and retrieval of
audio-visual media recorded by in-car video systems.
I. General
In-Car Cameras are deployed with in the Sheriff’s Department to aid in
gathering evidence of criminal act ivity, to provide training cr itique for officers,
and to maintain public trust and ci tizen confidence in departme nt procedures.
II. Program Objectives
A. To provide a recording of ev ents for courtroo m presentation.
B. To capture participant statem ents and video of events during the course
of an incident.
C. To provide an impartial meas urement for self-critique for th e officer or
department wide training critique.
D. To be used as an investigat ive tool to capture video and aud io
information in the furtherance o f existing and future investiga tions.
III. Definitions
A. An In-Car Camera System is defined as any vehicle mounted re cording
equipment which captures audio and visual signals.
B. An In-Car Camera (ICC) System Technician is an individual tr ained in
the duplicating, storage and retrie val process of recorded medi a
captured by the in-car cameras. The ICC Technician shall have a
working knowledge of evidentiary procedures, and be responsible for
courtroom testimony on the colle ction of in-car audio/video and the
record keeping procedures associ ated to the In-Car Camera progr am.
Page 2 of 3 10/10 (NEW 9/07) IV. Officers Responsibility
A. Officers assigned a vehicle eq uipped with and In-Car Camera system
shall, at the beginning of thei r assigned shift, inspect the re cording
equipment to ensure it i s functioning properly.
B. The pre-operational inspection shall, at a minimum, include the following:
a. The In-Car Camera system’s r emote microphone activation
is functioning.
b. Windshield and camera lens are free of obstructions.
c. In-Car Camera system is c apturing both audio and visual
information.
d. System plays back both audio and visual tracks.
C. The officers shall report any malfunction of the in-car came ra equipment
to his/her immediate supervisor and ensure the vehicle is writt en up for
repairs.
D. If possible, the supervisor s hall reassign the officer to a vehicle
containing a functioning in-car camera system. If the superviso r is
unable to assign the officer a r eplacement vehicle with a worki ng in-car
camera system the officer shall , on their completed log sheet a t end of
watch, document an in-car camer a system was not operational.
E. Unless exceptional circumst ances exist, officers utilizing I n-Car Camera
systems shall record, the following incidents using all audio a nd video
capabilities.
a. Al traffic stops b. All vehicle pursuits c. Crimes in progress d. Any situation or event that t he officer through training and
experience believes should be recorded.
F. When the in-car camera system i s activated it shall not be d eactivated
until the event has been concluded unless:
1. The event is protracted and c ontinued recording is of no val ue, ,
i.e., traffic control, acciden t scene, extended perimeter etc.
2. Multiple units ar e on scene and the officer’s in-car camera is not
in a position to record the event.
G. In instances in which circumstances warrant deactivation, th e officer may
do so by, verbally recording t he reason for deactivating the sy stem.
(example; recording stopped due to extended perimeter)
Page 3 of 3 10/10 (NEW 9/07) V. Supervisor Responsibilities
A. Supervisors informed of a mal functioning in-car camera syste m shall
ensure the vehicle is written up for repairs in accordance with
department policy.
B. When an incident arises (seri ous crime scene, departmental s hooting,
departmental accident, etc) that re quires the retrieval of reco rded media,
the supervisor shall ensure the recorded media is downloaded pr ior to
putting the vehicle back in service.
VI. Reviewing of Recorded Media
A. Officers shall have “review access” to the recorded media do wnloaded
from their assigned vehicle for a period of 24 hours from the c onclusion
of their shift. This is to allow an officer to review the video for self-critique
and to document captured images/audio recordings for reporting purposes. Officers shall not have review access to the recorded media of
other officers.
B. An officer’s recorded media may be made available for traini ng purposes
only after expressed writt en consent by all involved.
VII. ICC System Techni cian Responsibilities
A. Responsible for the management of all long term storage of m edia for
evidentiary purposes.
1. Storage shall be in conjuncti on with departmental policy for the
storage of audio/video evidence.
B. Responsible for duplicating re corded media, captured by In-C ar Camera
systems.
1. Requests for recordings shall require a written request by a
Division Commander or higher authority.
C. Responsible for duplicating t he recorded media for courtroom purposes.
D. Testifying on the integrity of the media evi dence submitted for
evidentiary purposes.
VIII. Authorization to R elease Recorded Media
A