Calgary Police Service Body Worn Camera Program

Transcription

1 Calgary Police Service Body Worn Camera Program

2 Calgary Police Service Staff Sergeant Asif Rashid Sergeant Todd Robertson

3 Calgary, Alberta, Canada Located in Western Canada in the Foothills of the Rockies, Calgary has a population of 1.2m.

4 Calgary Police Service sworn officers civilian members - 8 patrol districts

5 Pilot Project A test and evaluation period is critical. The end users must be involved for better buyin and acceptance of the program.

6 Pilot Project November 8 th, 2012, the pilot began with 50 cameras. Tested by front-line, uniformed personnel. - Patrol - Beat Teams - Traffic Unit - K9 - Gang Suppression Team Pilot ended on May 10 th, 2013.

7 Pilot Project In-Car Digital Video cameras had been deployed since 2007: Members had been exposed to the benefits of video evidence.

8 Device utilized during pilot: Panasonic WVTW310

9 Evaluation of Hardware The pilot included an evaluation of the hardware including: - battery life - safe, secure mount for camera - quality of video - additional weight to uniform

10 Pilot SOPs - Legal considerations - Privacy - Sensitive investigations - Citizen objections - Recording restrictions - Reviewing video prior to court use - Retention schedules - Individual issue - Discretionary activation

11 Findings of Pilot 2785 videos were captured. An increase in early case resolution and convictions due to BWC evidence. Reduction in sustained complaints against officers. A majority of members, via evaluation survey, were open to the concept and benefits of BWCs but wanted better technology.

12 Benchmarking Guidance for the Use of Body Worn Cameras; Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada Calgary Police Body Worn Camera Symposium (2014) United Kingdom Body Worn Video Steering Group IACP Model Policy (2014) PERF / COPS Office Implementation Guide

13 Why?

14 RFP and Current Technology

15 Implementation Project Main Objectives: 1. Service wide deployment beginning in 2 nd quarter, 2015 (personal issue) 2. IT infrastructure in place 3. Development of policy and procedures 4. Communication plan (internal and external) 5. Training curriculum

16 Implementation Project Discussions were held regarding: - When the cameras should be turned on. - Are the cameras voluntary or mandatory wear? - How will public requests for video be addressed and managed (FOIP)? - When and how can supervisors review video?

17 Implementation Project - Roll-out will be in stages to give both the Service and the courts time to adapt.

18 Keep the Crown and Courts Engaged The Crown has had continuous input, especially with regards to video disclosure methods. Not every court room is technology ready. A new and valuable member of the prosecution team will be forensic video analysts and video experts. Begin cultivating them now.

19 Disclosure to Court The increase in digital evidence that the courts are about to begin receiving will be massive. The Prosecutors Office is working to build their own IT infrastructure and internal policy.

20 Disclosure to Court Video must be reviewed by the investigator and submitted for vetting or redacting prior to court. This ensures the protection of an individual's privacy, privileged information, or police investigative techniques. Officers are responsible for reviewing their own video.

21 Key Elements of Current Project 1. Hardware selection and purchase - cameras and peripheral equipment - charging and uploading stations

22 Key Elements of Current Project 2. Video storage solution - Cloud vs. in-house server - Retention schedule - IT training and support - Plan for maintenance and upkeep of equipment

23 Key Elements of Project 3. Video management - Process for disclosure to court - Process for release in internal investigations - FOIP requests - Review and editing prior to disclosure 4. Approval of policy 5. Personnel to lead and manage the program into the future. New unit, or growth in a related area?

24 Key Elements of Project 6. Training plan: This will be two staged: e-learning and classroom based.

25 Privacy Protection The Privacy Commissioner of Alberta is investigating the Body Worn Camera program. Questions submitted revolve around: - Security and access control - Retention periods - Limitations on Secondary Use of Video

26 Policy Development Policy has gone through several drafts and an independent legal review. It will be posted publicly after the final version has been approved and the rollout has been announced. It will be a developing document that may see further amendments in the future.

27 Policy Development Policy allows for a great degree of officer discretion about when and when not to record, but officers will have to justify their use or non-use of the equipment. The BWCs will be enabled with a 30 second pre-record buffer.

28 Questions? Staff Sergeant Asif Rashid Sergeant Todd Robertson