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Santa Cruz County law enforcement agencies show interest in use of body cameras [Santa Cruz Sentinel, Calif.]
[September 14, 2014]

Santa Cruz County law enforcement agencies show interest in use of body cameras [Santa Cruz Sentinel, Calif.]


(Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 13--SANTA CRUZ -- A national discussion about body cameras on police officers has reached Santa Cruz County, and law enforcement leaders said this week they are interested in the new technology but have some reservations about their use.



The cameras, which are slightly larger than a matchbox and typically mounted to an officer's shirt, record what officers see and what they say. Watsonville police have a body camera for the limited use of underage alcohol-buying stings -- yet leaders from all the other Santa Cruz County law enforcement agencies say they are interested in them to varying degrees.

Police in Scotts Valley and at UC Santa Cruz could have them as soon as next year, but concerns about cost, design and privacy implications have prompted delays in purchases by police in Watsonville and Santa Cruz, their leaders said. Questions also remain about whether officers or the public want to "be held accountable for every single word," said Watsonville Police Chief Manny Solano.


Police in Santa Cruz, Watsonville and the California Highway Patrol already have video cameras on patrol cars' windshields that record audio with a wireless link to the officer. Those cameras have increased law enforcement transparency and helped to solve crimes, leaders said, and their ability to deflect complaints and lawsuits might help pave the way for body cameras with similar features.

The fatal shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri, on Aug. 9 also prompted calls for body cameras on police officers. More than 154,000 people signed a White House petition that supported a mandate on all police to wear them, and Ferguson police were given about 50 body cameras by two companies last month, the Associated Press reported.

"With Ferguson, there's a lot of chatter about it," Scotts Valley Police Chief John Weiss said this week of the body cameras.

"I think they have more value than the ones on the dashboard because if you walk away from the car, you'd have the footage." A body camera sold by Taser International Inc. costs $399.

Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Steve Clark said body camera designs are not yet perfect, in part because the images can be obscured by an officer's arms. There also isn't a great place to put them on a uniform or duty belt because they are already crowded with gear.

"I think body cameras are coming, but I think there's more coming in the evolution of them," said Clark. "They're not the panacea yet." Agencies such as San Jose police have had wearable cameras since 2009.

National guidelines Friday, the Department of Justice released new guidelines on body cameras, but did not mandate that they be worn. Justice officials said police should have clear protocols for when the devices should be turned on and off, as well as policies on how long the images should be retained and when the public has access to the recordings.

In Watsonville, its body camera was purchased with a grant from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for undercover alcohol stings with minors at liquor stores and restaurants, said Watsonville Police Chief Manny Solano.

Solano said his agency already has cameras on its patrol cars, and the officers also carry smartphones with video cameras. Their Taser guns have an added feature that records video and audio when it is turned on.

Solano said he wanted to wait before getting more body cameras in part because some residents might not speak as freely with officers if they know they're being recorded. Officers entering homes with them also might raise privacy concerns.

"I'd like to sit back and see others' experiences," Solano said. "The technology can change so fast." Like car cameras at other law enforcement agencies in Santa Cruz County, Watsonville's car cameras are automatically turned on when lights or sirens are activated and can be turned on manually. Because the cameras are always running, they also capture 30 seconds to two minutes before that activation.

That way, if a driver runs a red light and a chase starts, for instance, the officer will have that footage. In Watsonville in March, a car camera was instrumental in identifying Brenda Alcala-Velador, a suspect in a hit-and-run that severely injured a 10-year-old boy, Solano said. Such video has been presented in several court cases.

Other agencies Scotts Valley police leaders said this week that they are considering using federal money to outfit its 20 officers with body cameras, although they do not have patrol car cameras.

Santa Cruz police and the California Highway Patrol have car cameras, which include microphones on the officers with a roughly 100-yard range.

Capitola police had VHS tape recorders in its patrol cars until 2011, but the cost of storage and replacement led to their demise, said Police Chief Rudy Escalante. They now have no cameras in patrol cars. Its budget for 2015 is slated to include new digital video systems for its 11 vehicles.

Escalante said the car video cameras have been useful also when turned to the patrol car's back seat.

Once, an arrested man in the back seat slammed his head on the car's interior. Bruised and bloodied, he told his attorney that officers beat him on the way to jail. When the attorney inquired, police simply showed him the videotape of the self abuse, Escalante said.

"My experience is that the officers appreciate the cameras," he said.

Escalante said he was looking into body cameras as well, but he needs more information.

UC Santa Cruz Police Chief Nader Oweis said his agency does not have car cameras or body cameras but is looking to get both. Most University of California police agencies already have car cameras, and UC leaders are in a bid process to outfit officers with body cameras as early as next year, Oweis said.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office had car cameras until December, when it got rid of old equipment upon moving to its new headquarters on Soquel Avenue in Live Oak.

At its old headquarters on Ocean Street, deputies used a cord to download car camera images after each shift. Sheriff's Sgt. Mitch Medina said the car camera units were being discarded as old Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars were replaced with new vehicles.

A technology team is now evaluating new car camera systems as well as body cameras with a report due to the sheriff after a police technology conference in October.

As for body cameras, Medina said, "The sheriff is open to the possibility." Police cameras Agency Vehicle cameras Body cameras Santa Cruz police: Yes No Watsonville police: Yes Yes, one CHP: Yes No Sheriff's Office: No No Capitola police: No No UC Santa Cruz police: No No Scotts Valley police: No No Sources: Law enforcement agencies ___ (c)2014 Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.) Visit the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.) at www.santacruzsentinel.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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