Body Worn Camera Program Approved by Board of Supervisors; Full Implementation Expected to Take Three Years
Following a 2018 pilot program and rigorous academic study, the Board of Supervisors today approved full implementation of body worn cameras (BWC), which is expected to begin in May 2020 and take three years to phase in countywide. The Reston, Mason and Mount Vernon district stations, which participated in the 2018 pilot, will be the first three stations implementing the program. A fully implemented BWC program will consist of 1,210 cameras issued to all district stations and other key operational staff. One-time funding is included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 budget and baseline funding will be included in the FY 2021 budget and in future years, as required.
BWCs have many potential benefits and have been adopted by numerous other police departments and localities. Most importantly, BWCs are a tool intended to build and sustain trust between the community and police and enhance our legitimacy. Trust is the foundation of effective policing and has served our department and the county well in creating a safe community through co-production of public safety and engagement. An investment in BWCs is intended to provide a tool designed to enhance transparency and accountability and help bridge any lack of trust and confidence in our department.
(Original release date: July 9, 2019)
Body Worn Camera Study Presented at Board of Supervisors Meeting
At today’s Board of Supervisors’ Public Safety Committee meeting, Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. and representatives of an American University research team presented a comprehensive study of FCPD’s body worn camera (BWC) pilot project, which took place March 3 to Sept. 1, 2018. The pilot included 203 body worn cameras distributed to trained officers at three district stations: Mason, Mount Vernon and Reston, as well as a sampling of Motor Squad officers and Animal Protection officers.
The American University research team surveyed community members and police officers to determine what effect the cameras had on police activity and perceptions of police legitimacy in the community. In addition, they analyzed data regarding the number and nature of complaints against officers from this time period.
Key findings of the study include:
§ There was overwhelming support among community members for the widespread adoption of body worn cameras.
§ The majority of community members who interacted with police officers during the pilot program reported feeling positive not only about the personal experience but also about FCPD as a whole.
§ There was no evidence that the presence or absence of a body worn camera during a police interaction had an impact of the community member’s satisfaction with FCPD.
§ There was consensus among the officers involved in the pilot that body worn cameras will increase the gathering of evidence and help settle complaints against officers.
§ Most officers believed that their behavior and that of community members did not change because of body worn cameras.
“Our Body Worn Camera Project conducted in 2018 had the highest levels of academic rigor, transparency, accountability, as well as comprehensive metrics of workload so that we can move forward with an informed decision from deployment to budget,” said Chief Roessler. “As the Chief of Police, I fully support being transparent and accountable to our community. We already have robust accountability tools with in-car video, the Civilian Review Panel and the Police Auditor. We investigate every use of force by matter of policy. The use of body worn cameras will benefit both the community and our officers to ensure that our high level of public trust is maintained.”
The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on the implementation of body worn cameras at the Sept. 24 meeting.
Read the 2019 Fairfax County Police Department’s Body Worn Camera Pilot Project: An Evaluation
Presentation to the Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee
(Original release date: August 31, 2018)
Body Worn Camera Pilot Program Ending Today; Research Team to Study Findings
Our body worn camera pilot program will wrap-up today. Training for the body worn cameras began in mid-February, and full implementation was completed by mid-March. The Board of Supervisors approved the 90-day pilot program back in November of last year, with the option to extend to 180 days. The pilot was eventually extended to allow all stakeholders the opportunity to better assess the program areas and impact.
A research team at American University is gathering and studying the findings from the program, which included 203 body-worn cameras distributed to trained officers at three stations: Mason, Mount Vernon, and Reston, and a sampling of Motor Squad officers and Animal Protection officers. The research team is surveying community members and police officers to determine what effect the cameras had on police activity and perceptions of police legitimacy in the community. In addition, they will be analyzing data regarding the number and nature of complaints against officers from this time period. A full report from American University is expected in early 2019.
We look forward to sharing the results of this pilot program with the public as soon as they become available.
For ongoing updates, please read our blog and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @FairfaxCountyPD.
(Original release date: February 15, 2018)
Body Worn Camera Pilot Launching Monday, February 19; News Conference Tomorrow (Friday)
Our department will begin training and the rollout of our body worn camera pilot program next week. Ahead of the launch, we will be hosting a news conference tomorrow morning at our Public Safety Headquarters at 11. Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. will be joined by Major Christian Quinn and Captain Chantel Cochrane to discuss the pilot and answer questions. The equipment will be on hand and Major Quinn will demonstrate how it works. Members of the media will also have an opportunity to try on and test the cameras.
In December 2016, Chief Roessler proposed the body worn camera pilot program to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee. In late November, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to implement the pilot program in 2018. It was initially set to begin in March, but we are able to slowly start phasing-in the cameras a few weeks ahead of schedule. On Monday, we will start training the first wave of officers and begin the gradual rollout. Full implementation is expected by March 13. In total, 230 cameras will be distributed to officers at our Mason, Mount Vernon, and Reston district police stations. These locations were selected due to the diversity of the communities, and the varying types of calls for service and incidents resulting in the use of force. Not every officer at each of these stations will be issued a camera. We are working with a research team at American University who will gather and study data over the course of the pilot program. It is important to have a control group in each station to allow for a more accurate compilation of data.
Officers will be expected to activate the body worn camera during any law enforcement-public encounter related to a call for service, law enforcement action, subject stop, traffic stop, search or police service. The officer should start recording at their arrival/response, or as soon as it is practical and safe to do so, and leave it on for the duration of the incident. There are several circumstances and locations where our officers will not record. Our policy for the body worn camera pilot program was drafted with community stakeholders, including leaders of special interest, civic, and business organizations. There are several intricacies contained within the policy that address the personal privacy rights and constitutional safeguards of individuals while ultimately seeking to promote transparency and accountability in police-community member encounters. Our body worn camera policy is posted online here:
All requests for body worn camera footage should be referred to the Media Relations Bureau’s Virginia Freedom of Information (FOIA) Compliance Section (FCPDFOIA@fairfaxcounty.gov) for proper processing. Costs associated with the review and redaction of all Body Worn Camera and In Car Video footage will be charged to the requestor pursuant to Virginia Code Section 2.2-3704 (F).
For tomorrow’s press conference, we have parking set aside for media vehicles. As you drive towards the front our Public Safety Headquarters, 12099 Government Center Parkway in Fairfax, officers will be directing you to available spaces.
(Original release date: December 19, 2017)
New Plans to Expand Body Worn Camera Pilot Program
Our Reston District Station has been added to the body worn camera pilot program which is scheduled to launch in March 2018. Last month, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to implement the program in our Mount Vernon and Mason district stations. These locations were selected due to the diversity of the communities, and the varying types of calls for service and incidents resulting in the use of force.
Once the implementation team began to examine how the equipment will be distributed, it was determined there would be enough cameras available to expand the program. Initially, the 230 cameras were going to be issued to every patrol officer working at the Mount Vernon and Mason stations. However, we are also working with a research team at American University who will gather and study data over the course of the pilot program. As with all research and case studies, we feel it is important to have a control group in each station to allow for a more accurate compilation of data. This way, the research team at American University will be able to compare data between officers who have and have not been issued a body worn camera, and who work the same shift within the same area of the county. As a result, only half the patrol officers in each of the stations will be issued a body worn camera. This leaves a number of cameras available, and allows for the opportunity to add a third district station to the pilot program. It also gives other officers a chance to test and evaluate the equipment.
The Reston area was chosen because it differs from the two police districts already included in the program. The patrol areas within the Reston District include a number of high-rise buildings as well as stops along Metro’s Silver Line. Additionally, our Reston District Police Station is the newest building among our stations, and already has the physical infrastructure in place to accommodate the technical needs of the program.
The addition of a third police district to the body worn camera pilot program is not projected to impact or increase costs.
(Original release date: November 21, 2017)
Pilot Body Worn Camera Program Approved to Launch Early 2018
Our department will be launching a pilot body worn camera program this coming spring, after unanimous approval from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors this morning. This pilot program will be conducted with all operational uniformed patrol officers from two of our district stations; Mount Vernon and Mason. It will include 230 cameras and last for 3 months, with the option to extend it to 6 months.
This comes following the Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission Final Report recommendations to outfit officers with body worn cameras. The pilot body worn camera program is designed to provide the Department with the opportunity to review police-community member encounters as they occur, as well as provide an additional degree of safety for our officers as they patrol the streets.
Cameras will be worn on the outside of the officer’s uniform or ballistic vest on a full-time basis to evaluate the technical merits of the software and equipment. The cameras that will be tested offer various features and mounts to capture the details of police-community member encounters without compromising the officer’s job tasks or safety. Prior to being issued the equipment, all officers will receive training.
Officers will be expected to activate the body worn camera during any law enforcement-public encounter related to a call for service, law enforcement action, subject stop, traffic stop, search or police service. The officer should start recording at their arrival/response, or as soon as it is practical and safe to do so, and leave it on for the duration of the incident. That includes transporting an individual to any detention facility. No law prohibits officers from recording citizens in public, as individuals in a public area have no expectation of privacy. The recording of any police contact with individuals in a private residence is also allowed, as long as the officers have legal authority to be in that location. If officers are in an area where individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as their home, individuals may decline to be recorded unless the recording is being made pursuant to an in-progress criminal investigation, arrest, or search of the location.
There are several circumstances and locations where our officers will not record, including when in courthouses and medical facilities. In both of those instances, the camera should only be turned on if use of force is anticipated or initiated. We will also not record if community members are reporting a crime and request anonymity, or if they are giving a statement in an alleged rape or sexual assault.
Axon has been selected to be the single point of contact for the camera device, software and storage. They have agreed to provide the pilot program at no charge to Fairfax County, but there will still be expenses. The projected start-up cost for this pilot program for the County is $684,151 in Fiscal Year 2018. The majority of implementation costs will fund the personnel needed to technically support the pilot program and help manage the additional digital evidence and records. Approximately $8,000 will be spent at each station to make modest enhancements to power and network access required for the pilot program. There will also be a recurring annual cost for data storage starting in 2021. The first 3 years of storage are covered as part of a Field Trial Agreement. After that there will be a recurring annual cost for data storage from the 90-day pilot of $124,000 beginning in Fiscal Year 2021. If the pilot period duration is increased, the cost also increases proportionately.
Fairfax County’s obligation to maintain the data created during the pilot program is not discretionary. The Library of Virginia is authorized by state code to enact regulations governing the retention and disposition of state and local public records, including digital video data. Video related to most routine police activity is required to be retained for only a few years. However, cases involving unsolved serious criminal offenses, allegations of police misconduct, critical incidents, etc. can require retention periods of up to 100 years.
In addition to the technical evaluation of the equipment, we are partnering with researchers to gather and study data over the course of the pilot program. Richard R. Bennett Ph.D., Department of Justice, Law, and Criminology at American University will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the effects the pilot body worn camera program will have on use of force statistics, the number of community member complaints, changes in policing activities and the community members’ assessment of police legitimacy. The analysis is expected to cover statistics and community member feedback over a 270-day span in order to assess the impacts prior to, during, and following the pilot program window.
We acknowledge this is a significant milestone and our policy for the pilot body worn camera program was drafted with community stakeholders, including leaders of religious, civic and business organizations. There are several intricacies contained within the policy that address the personal privacy rights and constitutional safeguards of individuals while ultimately seeking to promote transparency and accountability in police-community member encounters.
We are projecting the pilot to begin in about 100 days, likely sometime in March. This will allow us the time to onboard staff to implement program and make modest infrastructure improvements to the two district stations taking part in the pilot.
All requests for body worn camera footage should be referred to the Media Relations Bureau’s Virginia Freedom of Information (FOIA) Compliance Section (FCPDFOIA@fairfaxcounty.gov) for proper processing.
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