Officers to use body cameras

City’s Department of Public Safety to get 200 devices from Taser

SUNNYVALE — This city’s Department of Public Safety officers will begin using body-worn cameras in September.

The city approved a fiveyear contract with Taser International in June after the department tested the Taser brand cameras along with cameras from two other companies.

Taser’s Axon 2 cameras were chosen partially because of their long battery life of 12 hours per charge and their high-definition recording capabilities.

The Department of Public Safety is expected to receive 200 cameras this month, according to Capt. Jeff Hunter.

Hunter said the officers enjoyed using the cameras during product testing.

“In fact, some of the officers did not want to give them back; they’d rather have the camera on them because they feel it protects them,” Hunter said. “I would say overwhelmingly I haven’t heard anything negative, and it’s been extremely positive going forward.”

Video shot on Sunnyvale’s cameras can be stored and transferred directly to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office through cloud storage.

In the last five years, many police departments across the United States have added body-worn cameras to normal operations to give both residents and police officers greater peace of mind. Oakland’s police force began using the cameras in 2010, and San Jose added body cameras in July.

Sunnyvale crafted its body camera policy with the Public Safety Officers Association and looked at the policies of other law enforcement offices.

“The policy states that the camera will be used any time there is an enforcement stop or a field contact that the wearer believes may be useful,” Hunter said.

All officers will have their own cameras, with videos bearing a signature indicating which officer the recording came from. Although officers will have the ability to make notes to accompany videos, there will be no way for them to modify or delete recordings.

“It’s a good protection for the department,” Hunter said. “I think it’s a good protection for the community, the officers and the city. The chief wanted us to look into it as soon as we could, and we did.”