Police share experiences with body-worn cameras
one month after kick start, YPD calls program a success
More than a month after police officers started wearing body-worn cameras, the Yuma Police Department already considers the technology a success.
In a presentation to the City Council on Wednesday, police officials shared details of the first few weeks following implementation of the cameras. Supervisor Adrian Rodriguez noted one officer objected to the cameras seeing them “more as a Big Brother effect.” But then a citizen filed a complaint against the officer, and after reviewing the footage recorded on his cameras, his supervisors discovered that the allegations made against the officer were unfounded.
“He went from completely disagreeing to loving the program,” Rodriguez said.
Two weeks into wearing the cameras, police saw an important piece of evidence captured by the camera that they were able to retrieve. By reviewing the footage, they tracked the location of the evidence and, by literally counting bushes, found it in the “middle of nowhere,” Rodriguez explained.
“Coming from a forensic background, we would probably not have found it,” he noted. “This is great technology.”
The YPD purchased 77 body-worn cameras with help from a $115,500 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. The grant requires a 100% match in cash or in-kind services.
“It’s been a long time coming. We’re very excited about it,” Deputy Chief Lisa Culp said.
On Sept. 28, the YPD kick started the pilot body-worn camera program. The officers have been getting used to turning them on every time they get out of the car, Culp said.
The deputy chief called it a contemporary policing tool that puts YPD more in line with national standards.
The department hired Rodriguez as the program’s supervisor in October 2019 and just hired a video analyst this week. The department also developed policies to address when to activate and when not to activate the cameras, privacy concerns, how long to keep footage and when to get rid of it and public access.
Culp noted that the department spent a lot of time researching and evaluating the available equipment. They also reached out to local stakeholders and organizations for their insights. They supported the program and pointed out that it would provide accountability and transparency and increase the safety of the public as well as the men and women who serve them.
The department picked four cameras they wanted to test further and selected officers, from different squads and shifts, to test them out. They evaluated the cameras on battery life, ruggedness, mounting options, quality of audio and video, ease of use, upload ease, storage capabilities, and other factors.
The YPD decided to partner with Axon, an Arizona company that has worked with more than 7,500 agencies around the world. The department chose the Axon Body 3 camera because of its 12-hour battery life, which is more than enough for an officer’s 12-hour shift, Rodriguez said.
The camera records 30 frames per second and has a 140-degree field of view. It’s embedded with GPS, which makes it possible to follow the path an officer took when recording.
The camera is worn on the officer’s uniform and captures audio and video as they respond to calls for service. It can be placed in the center on the chest or on the left or right side of the chest.
Once an officer’s shift is over, the camera is returned to a docking station, where the footage is automatically transmitted to the new digital evidence system. The system stores and manages the data.
The system also automatically tags the footage with case information, such as number, location and dates and times, which takes the work away from the officers.
Councilman Chris Mor
ris asked whether a camera lost, for example, in a tussle, could be located. Rodriguez said that Axon will be adding a function similar to Apple’s Find My Phone, that will allow cameras to be tracked down. However, he pointed out, the department chose the most secure mount to eliminate the possibility. The mount YPD picked has a double locking mechanism that takes a significant amount of force to take off.
Rordiguez also explained that they tried to break and hack into a camera to see if they could retrieve the footage and they were unable to do so.
Morris also asked how the department is handling public access requests. Rodriguez said they’re being handled like other department requests. Any citizen can request footage and the report through a public records request. The records department processes the request and forwards it to the right department. The YPD releases whatever information it can release. Footage can be redacted and blurred to block things that shouldn’t be released to the public.
Councilman Mike Shelton asked how the cameras do in low light, for example, a dark night in an alley. He was told that this camera has improved lowlight function, with more clarity and visibility than previous models.
Shelton also asked whether an officer could erase the footage. The only way to hide the footage is by not docking the camera at the end of the day, Rodriguez said. If the camera is not docked, the officer will have to explain its location. And there’s no way for the officer to retrieve the footage, he added.
Only an administrator can delete footage, Culp said. If something is recorded by mistake, for example, a bathroom visit, the officer needs to let the supervisor know and he will delete the footage.
In addition, an officer is unable to see footage captured by other officers. He can only see his own video. Also, the system automatically tracks every click made to the footage.
Deputy Mayor Karen Watts asked about disciplinary action if an officer doesn’t record an interaction. Rodriguez said that random videos will be reviewed at least once a month to make sure officers are recording on a regular basis. If not, the proper steps will be taken.
The 77 cameras allow all officers on patrol to wear cameras, but the department will later need more for detectives and support staff. Not all patrol sergeants have them either. Currently, canines officers don’t wear the cameras, but they might in the future.