The National City Police Department gave a presentation to the City Council about their progress with instituting body-worn cameras on all of their 55 uniformed officers by July.
Lt. Robert Rounds, who has spearheaded the body-worn cameras program at the department, told council members that cameras are a win-win for both the officers and the public because they hold officers accountable for their actions and protect officers from false citizen complaints.
Seven police officers tested out Taser cameras, which appears to be the industry standard among agencies in the county. The Chula Vista Police Department last year outfitted its entire police force with Taser body cameras.
The estimated cost of the pilot program is $125,000 for the first year and then about $46,000 every year after that for storage and maintenance.
Rounds said incorporating the cameras has challenges such as data management, introducing the devices to the community and privacy concerns.
The biggest challenge, Rounds said, is getting officers used to the device when they are out in the field.
“It’s a whole different way of the officers doing their business,” he said. “They have another piece of equipment that they are responsible for and that they are expected to use every call that they go on that qualifies as a recordable call.
That is a big shift for the officers out in the field to remember that.”
The council last year approved funding for outfitting 55 officers with body-worn cameras.
National City Councilwoman Mona Rios said after reviewing data from other agencies, she likes the idea of having the city’s officers using body-worn cameras.
“It makes a difference, when a police officer approaches someone, in their behavior and the police’s behavior,” she said. “It might make a volatile situation less volatile.”
Rounds said the police chief is in the process of creating a policy for the use of cameras and distribution of footage.
