Grand Jury Endorses Patrol Vehicle Cameras

Published: October 07, 2011 5 pages

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⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.

⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.

Findings and Recommendations 2 findings

All county law enforcement agencies except the police departments of the cities of Santa Barbara and Guadalupe have currently installed audio/visual technology in their patrol vehicles.

Related Recommendations (1)

That the police departments of the cities of Santa Barbara and Guadalupe immediately seek out funding sources to provide current audio/visual technology for all of their patrol vehicles.

Citing costs, the police departments of the cities of Santa Barbara and Guadalupe currently do not have audio/video technology installed in their patrol vehicles.

Related Recommendations (1)

That the police departments of the cities of Santa Barbara and Guadalupe immediately request that their respective city councils provide any necessary supplemental funds to obtain and install current audio/visual technology for all of their patrol vehicles.

Additional Recommendations 1

These recommendations are not explicitly linked to specific findings.

R3

That the police departments of the cities of Santa Barbara and the Guadalupe install current audio/visual technology for all of their patrol vehicles.

Observations 12

OB1

All county law enforcement agencies except the police departments of the cities of Santa Barbara and Guadalupe have currently installed audio/visual technology in their patrol vehicles.
OB2

Citing costs, the police departments of the cities of Santa Barbara and Guadalupe currently do not have audio/video technology installed in their patrol vehicles.
OB3

Enhanced officer accountability
OB4

Enhanced officer safety
OB5

Traffic stop and field investigations are resolved more quickly in court
OB6

Complaints against law enforcement personnel are resolved more quickly
OB7

Reduction of time and expense in certain investigations
OB8

Video images aid in suspect identification
OB9

Video data are invaluable as evidence in court proceedings Disadvantages
OB10

Any call for service where the recorder may aid in the apprehension and/or prosecution of a suspect
OB11

Any situation that becomes adversarial after the initial contact
OB12

An officer believes that a recording of an incident would be appropriate The use of these systems is to provide an unbiased audio/video record that would be used to supplement the officer’s report. Generally, most agencies have the same policy for the storage of the recorded information based on Government Code Section 34090.6. Once the audio/video record is booked into evidence, it will be retained for a minimum of one year. After that, it may be erased or destroyed unless there is pending litigation. All of the County’s law enforcement agencies that currently have audio/video systems were supportive of the technology. However, one agency did cite numerous glitches with 2011-2012 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury 3 GRAND JURY ENDORSES PATROL VEHICLE CAMERAS their equipment including battery issues, equipment checks, as well as lapses in dealing with the use of the technology. A modern law enforcement agency should take advantage of this kind of innovation which may reduce its liabilities and increase the level of trust held by the citizenry it serves. Based on overwhelmingly positive evaluations by the law enforcement community, the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury recommends that the police departments of Santa Barbara and Guadalupe obtain funding for, and install this technology. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Finding 1 All county law enforcement agencies except the police departments of the cities of Santa Barbara and Guadalupe have currently installed audio/visual technology in their patrol vehicles. Finding 2 Citing costs, the police departments of the cities of Santa Barbara and Guadalupe currently do not have audio/video technology installed in their patrol vehicles.

Agency Responses 1

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.

Santa Barbara Police Department

October 04, 2011 • 3 pages • 4 responses • Score: +2 (+2, 0, 0) View Details ▾

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4 responses to findings and recommendations

All county law enforcement agencies except the police departments of the cities of Santa Barbara and Guadalupe have currently installed audio/visual technology in their patrol vehicles.

Response: Agree Score: +1

We concur that the Santa Barbara Police Department does not have an audio/visual technology installed in our patrol vehicles.

Citing costs, the police departments of the cities of Santa Barbara and Guadalupe currently do not have audio/video technology installed in their patrol vehicles.

Response: Agree Score: +1

We concur that the cost has been a prohibitive factor in the acquisition of audio/visual technology for our patrol vehicles. This cost is estimated at $250,000-~300,000 'to install audio/visual technology in the patrol fleet. In addition, the Police Department has allocated personnel resources to several major projects which were urgent priorities. For example in 2007, the Police Department embarked upon a 6 year project for the complete modernization and replacement of the Records Management System, Computer Aided Dispatch System, Mobile Data Terminal Computers, and the Mobile Report Entry Sy...

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

The Santa Barbara Police Department has submitted a Council Agenda Report to the Santa Barbara City Council requesting supplemental funds to obtain and install audio/visual technology for patrol vehicles and additional support staff to maintain them. This report will be placed on the December 13, 2011 agenda for City Council.

That the police departments of the cities of Santa Barbara and the Guadalupe install current audio/visual technology for all of their patrol vehicles.

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

To date, the Santa Barbara Police Department has reviewed seven vendors for audio/visual technology and has contacted every agency in Santa Barbara County who has this technology. We have installed two separate pilot projects to field test this technology and will continue to work with additional vendors to determine recommended features and capabilities of these systems. The Santa Barbara Police Department is prepared to move forward with this project once funding is secured.

No Responses Found 1

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.

Guadalupe City