Policy Text
SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT
COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO
Interim Order
BODY WORN CAMERAS
The purpose of this policy is to provide Sheriff's Office personnel with guidelines for the
use, management, storage and retrieval of audio-visual media recorded by a
department issued Body Worn Camera (BWC) system.
II.
I.
III.
General
Body worn cameras are deployed within the Sheriff's Office to capture audio
and video recordings of law enforcement contacts. These recordings may be
useful in documenting evidence, the preparing of written reports, providing
training critique for employees, and maintaining public trust and citizen
confidence in department policies and procedures. While recordings obtained
from a BWC system provide an objective record of events, it is understood
video recordings captured by a BWC (or other recording device) do not
necessarily reflect the experience or state of mind of the individual employee(s)
in a given incident. Further, video cameras generally record only a portion of an
incident, may lack context of the event and may not accurately record light
levels leaving out significant aspects of an incident.
Program Objectives
A.
To provide a recording of events for courtroom presentation.
B. To capture participant statements and video of events during the course of
an incident.
C.
D.
To provide an impartial measurement for self-critique for the officer or
department wide training critique.
To be used as an investigative tool to capture video and audio information
in the furtherance of existing and future investigations.
Definitions
a. Body Worn Camera (BWC) - an approved, department issued, electronic
recording device worn by authorized employees that captures and stores
audio and video files when activated. A covert recording device used for
undercover operations is not classified as a body worn camera.
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IV.
b. On Position - powering on the camera and placing the system into standby
mode, which when activated, captures audio and video of an incident as
well as the previous 60 seconds of video.
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c. Activation any method that initiates the body worn camera's audio and
video functions.
d. De-Activation - Stopping a body worn camera event recording.
e. Buffering Mode - the body worn camera is on but has not been activated to
record both sound and video. While in the buffering mode, the camera will
continuously record only video on 60 second loops.
f. Live Stream- the ability to view actively recording video in near real time.
g. Digital Evidence - photographs, video footage, audio recordings and any
other digitally stored electronic record.
h. Docking Station - The multi-ported docking station that charges the body
worn camera while it simultaneously uploads encrypted digital evidence
from the device. The docking station transfers the encrypted digital data to
the agencies data storage location.
i.
Data Storage Location - A highly secure server environment where
encrypted digital data is stored but is accessible to the Sacramento County
Sheriff's Office employees through role based permissions.
Body Worn Camera Operator Responsibilities
a. Employees shall only deploy their body worn cameras when they have
successfully completed all required training on the inspection, activation,
use, care of, storage and uploading of all recorded media from the body
worn cameras.
b. Body worn cameras shall be operated in accordance with the
manufacturer's guidelines and the Sheriff's Office's training, policies, and
procedures.
c. Employees assigned a body worn camera shall inspect their device at the
beginning of their shift to ensure it is not damaged and is functioning
properly.
d. The pre-operational inspection shall include verifying the following:
1. The body worn camera is fully charged and any previously
recorded data has been uploaded to the data storage location.
2. Activating the body worn camera and recording a video.
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V.
3. Verifying the body worn camera is capturing both audio and
visual video by confirming the recording in the phone
application and marking the video with the training category.
4. The body worn camera is free of defects or damage that
impair operation.
e. Employees shall report any malfunction of the body worn camera equipment
to their immediate supervisor when the malfunction is discovered. If the
camera is broken and needs to be repaired, employees should submit a
JIRA ticket to the Help Desk and leave the broken camera with their
equipment room officer.
f. If an employee's assigned body worn camera malfunctions, his/her
supervisor shall assign a replacement camera as soon as possible pending
the repair and return of the employee's normally assigned device. If the
supervisor does not have a replacement camera available at the assigned
division, he or she should contact another patrol division for a replacement.
If no spare devices are available, the supervisor will contact the
Communication Center Sergeant and have the on-call IT Analyst bring one
to the division. The employee shall submit an IT Service Desk ticket
documenting the problem with their issued device.
g. At the beginning of shift, the body worn camera shall be affixed above the
employee's midline torso. The camera shall be facing forward, unless a
specific reason is articulated for not wanting to capture video footage while
still recording audio. The employee should narrate this reason during the
incident.
h. Employees shall dock their issued body worn camera at the end of each
shift into the docking station to allow for digital evidence to be uploaded.
i. Individuals with home retention vehicles shall dock their body worn cameras
at the beginning of the next shift if they did not return to their office.
j. Audio/video recordings from body worn cameras should not be relied upon
as the sole documentation of incidents