City of Eastvale

Eastvale – Sheriff Stan Sniff has approved the fielding of Body Worn Cameras (BWC) throughout its patrol operations over the next few years, subject to county funding of the devices and storage.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has completed its field testing of Body Worn Cameras (BWC) in its patrol operations. Earlier this year the Department began “voluntary” field testing of the VieVu model BWC at its Jurupa Valley Station, deploying over 150 BWCs throughout the station’s patrol operations, including deputies, corporals, investigators, sergeants and community service officers (CSOs). The Sheriff had specified an initial test period of 60 to 90 days to determine what issues would arise in the Department’s first large scale fielding of these devices, to work through any issues that did arise, and for end-users to provide feedback on both their utility and cost-effectiveness. In addition, the Department researched and absorbed “lessons learned” and best practices from other agencies fielding various varieties of BWC technology.

Although the Department was prepared to continue testing, if required, for another 60 to 90 days, input from the Jurupa Valley chain of command has indicated they have learned what we needed to know, and recommended transition from voluntary testing of these devices to mandatory Department-wide use. The manufacturer has worked closely with the Sheriff’s Department in dealing with desired equipment modifications for problems encountered in the real-world testing and deployment of BWCs in our local patrol environment, under tactical conditions and used in our patrol vehicles. Our technology specialists have also been able to resolve issues concerning downloading and data storage to our satisfaction.

The Sheriff’s Department has refined its BWC procedures during the Jurupa Valley Station testing period, and the Department-wide document will replace the separate patrol station SOPs that have evolved over the last several years for this emerging technology. The Sheriff’s Department has notified County Human Resources that the decision on “mandatory” use in patrol operations has been made and the County remains open to meeting and conferring with the various labor groups on any foreseeable workplace impacts of that management decision.

The Jurupa Valley Station testing has validated that the known presence of BWCs has positively altered potential confrontations between deputies and the public, often gaining voluntary compliance by the public. Formal personnel complaints against our deputies at the Jurupa Valley Station during the testing period have declined 30%.

Based on the voluntary testing period input from the Jurupa Valley Station, the Sheriff has concurred that patrol deputies and other Department personnel utilizing BWCs shall continue to have discretion in deciding when to activate their cameras pursuant to the BWC policy guidance developed.

The Sheriff’s Department deeply appreciates the leadership efforts of our Jurupa Valley Station in fielding this BWC technology, paving the way for its use throughout our patrol operations over the next few years. In the interim, the Sheriff will continue to allow personal BWCs for on-duty use until full deployment of county-owned BWCs is completed. After full deployment occurs within patrol operations, only county-owned BWCs will be used.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department will continue testing the potential usage of BWC technology throughout its operations outside of its patrol divisions, including Corrections and Courts, but the challenges and required stakeholder input will be somewhat different than in patrol operations.

The Sheriff will seek funding from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors in Fiscal Year 2015/16, for a phased acquisition, training, and fielding plan of BWCs, initially throughout its patrol operations, and ultimately across its other specialized jail and court areas after preliminary testing and needed guidance from our judicial officers has been completed.

In addition, the Sheriff’s Department is submitting for the FY “2015 Body-Worn Camera Pilot Implementation Program” grant through the U.S. Department of Justice. If awarded, the grant will require a 50% in-kind match for the purchase of Body Worn Cameras, but excludes the cost of data storage. Ultimately, nearly 3,000 BWCs may someday be deployed throughout all of the Department’s massive operations across Riverside County.