The Slowly Expanding Use of Body-Worn Video Cameras by Law Enforcement Agencies in Monterey County*

- At a minimum in California, written department policies must comply with the requirements of Penal Code Section 832.18. Response: The City Council agrees with this finding.

- The BODYCAM described in this report stores recordings on a removable Micro- SD memory card. Response – The City Council agrees with this finding.

- The BODYCAM described in this report enables any user to delete one or all recorded videos unless those camera functions are disabled by an appropriately trained BODYCAM administrator or a manufacturer's representative. Response - The City Council agrees with this finding, but notes that the cameras used by the Gonzales Police Department have been programmed to prevent unauthorized officers from deleting any recordings. Gonzales will continue to be a safe, clean, family-friendly community, diverse in heritage, and committed to working collaboratively to preserve and retain its small town charm 1 1 m

- Because the BODYCAM allows the Micro-SD card to be removed from the camera, it is possible for an officer to remove and read the card on an unauthorized computer and to delete or modify recorded data, contrary to the specific prohibitions of Penal Code section 832.18. Response - The City Council agrees with this finding, however, the cards in the cameras used by the Gonzales Police Department have been programmed to only work in the camera in which they have been installed. The data on the card cannot be deleted or changed and only a card assigned and programmed by the Department's body camera administrator can be used in a camera.

- The Gonzales Police Department provides BWCs for its officers' use in accordance with a written department policy regarding their use. Response – The City Council agrees with this finding.

- The Gonzales Police Department's written BWC policy does not meet all of the requirements of Penal Code Section 832.18. Response – The City Council disagrees wholly with the finding. California Penal Code Section 832.18 requires agencies, departments or entities to only "consider" the best practices for the downloading and storage of body-worn camera data when establishing policies and procedures for the implementation and operation of body-worn camera systems, but does not require incorporation of all best practices. The Police Department's policy does "consider" the best practices of downloading and storage of body-worn data and is therefore in compliance with the law. Penal Code Section 832.18 simply serves as a guideline for agencies, departments and entities considering the use of body-worn cameras, but it does not make those guidelines mandatory in order to achieve compliance with the law.

– The Gonzales Police Department uses the BODYCAM BWC. Response – The City Council agrees with this finding. Civil Grand Jury Report - Recommendations