"Hit this button here to turn it off and later on blame it on a car door making your gun go off"
Fairfax
County Board of Supervisors considering police body cameras
by:
Marcus Dash
FAIRFAX,
Va. (WDVM)– Fairfax County is a step closer to adding body cameras to the
uniforms of all Fairfax County Police officers.
The
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors met Tuesday night to discuss the findings
of a year-long pilot program of Fairfax County Officers wearing body cameras.
The study took place from March to September of 2018. The purpose was to see
what effect the body cameras have on police activity and perceptions of police
legitimacy in the community. Lee District Supervisor, Jeff McKay, says the
report shows a great amount of confidence we have in our officers and the
body-worn cameras need to be permanent.
“It
is beneficial to people who are on either side of the equation. It’s beneficial
to our officers and their safety, it’s beneficial for people who are being
questioned or are approached by police officers. To me it’s an investment in a
fair justice system,” said Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay.
The
county will draft up a plan to show the full board of supervisors in September.
Fairfax
Co. leaders voice support for police body camera program
Michelle
Basch | @MBaschWTOP
Fairfax
County, Virginia, police tested body-worn cameras in 2018, and several county
leaders are expressing support for plans to bring them back permanently.
It’s
estimated that a program to outfit some 1,200 officers with cameras would cost
almost $30 million over the first five years.
The
price tag includes hiring 34 additional people to help handle the video: 23 in
the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office, six in information technology, and five
in the police department.
Board
of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova thinks the cameras are needed. “I think
that we should move forward,” she said Tuesday at a meeting of the Public
Safety Committee.
Lee
District Supervisor Jeff McKay agreed, adding, “I don’t think this board is
going to reject this. I would hope this board would accept the body-worn camera
program. I think it’s important.”
Springfield
District Supervisor Pat Herrity said that he would love to see police get the
body-worn cameras because they help determine facts, but he is concerned about
the expense.
“It’s
pretty cost prohibitive at this stage, in my opinion,” Herrity said.
Also
concerned about the price is Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross. “On the one
hand it sounds like a really good idea, but on the other hand the cost factor
is so huge; and there are so many unknowns, so I’m not quite there yet,” she
said.
The
goal is to come up with a plan to put before the full board in September.
A
study by American University researchers determined that a body-worn camera
pilot program conducted by Fairfax County police from March 3 to Sept. 1, 2018
went well.
During
the test, half of the officers at the Mason, Mount Vernon and Reston police
stations were randomly assigned to wear body-worn cameras, while the other half
went about their jobs without the cameras. A total of 191 cameras were
deployed.
Among
the study’s findings:
—
There was no indication that the cameras changed the way officers did their
jobs, but the use of the cameras led to a slight decrease in the average number
of complaints by members of the community against officers who wore them
compared to those who did not.
—
603 people who had interacted with a police officer (some wearing cameras, others
not) during the testing phase took part in a phone interview afterward. Asked
to agree or disagree with a series of statements, 83% agreed that they were
satisfied with how they were treated by the officer they encountered. Older
people were more likely to agree than younger, and the percentages of Caucasian
and Asian people who agreed were substantially higher than the percentages of
African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans.
—
92% of those surveyed agreed that body-worn cameras should be worn by all
officers in the department. Whether the officer they encountered had a
body-worn camera or not didn’t seem to have any meaningful impact on their
answer.
Residents
Support Police Body Cameras In Fairfax County: Study
A
survey found residents strongly supported body cameras, but the results were
mixed for participating officers.
By
Emily Leayman, Patch Staff
MOUNT
VERNON, VA—A study of a body camera pilot program for Fairfax County Police found
strong support for officers wearing body cameras. The findings of the study
conducted by an American University research team were presented to the Fairfax
County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The board will vote on adopting a
permanent body camera program on Sept. 24.
The
pilot program ran from March 3, 2018 to Sept. 1, 2018. Officers at the Mount
Vernon, Mason and Reston district stations as well as a sample of Motor Squad
officers and Animal Protection officers wore 203 body cameras. The three district
stations were chosen due to the diversity of the communities, various types of
calls for service and incidents resulting in the use of force.
Officers
were instructed to turn on body cameras during encounters with residents.
Recording could not happen in courts or medical facilities, when a person gave
a statement in an alleged rape or sexual assault, and when a person reported a
crime and requested anonymity.
American
University conducted a telephone survey of 603 residents who had an interaction
with an officer during the pilot program. Of these, 92 percent want all Fairfax
County officers to wear body cameras, and 83 percent either agreed or strongly
agreed they were satisfied with how the officer treated them. These results
varied when broken down by age group and race. On the other hand, researchers
found no evidence that the presence or absence of a body camera during police
encounters had a significant impact on residents' perceptions.
Police
Chief Ed Roessler Jr. expressed support for the body camera program. "We
already have robust accountability tools with in-car video, the Civilian Review
Panel and the Police Auditor," he said in a statement. "We
investigate every use of force by matter of policy. The use of body worn cameras
will benefit both the community and our officers to ensure that our high level
of public trust is maintained."
Two
squads of officers were also surveyed before and after the pilot body camera
program. Most agreed body cameras would aid in gathering evidence and help settle
complaints against officers. Interestingly, one squad's perception about body
cameras became more negative after the program, while the other's became
slightly more positive. For instance, 56 percent of one squad disagreed that
body cameras would improve community relations; that dropped to 52 percent
disagreeing after the pilot program. The number of officers in the other squad
disagreeing went up from 41 percent to 44 percent.
There
were more mixed feelings about whether body cameras would make officers more
professional and reduce proactive encounters with community members. Many of
the surveyed officers believe body cameras are needed in police departments
with community relations problems, corruption or other issues. But they don't
believe the Fairfax County Police Department has these kinds of problems.
Several
supervisors expressed support for the body camera program, although a few
voiced concerns about the cost. WTOP reported that the estimated cost could be
$30 million over five years.
You
can see the full study results for the police body camera pilot program here.
Like Tha
Both
police and civilians support body-worn cameras, concludes study of FCPD pilot
program
________________________________________
FAIRFAX
COUNTY, Va. — An American University research team that studied a 2018
body-worn camera pilot project Fairfax County Police had undergone concluded
that the cameras are supported by both the community and officers themselves.
The
program distributed 203 body-worn cameras to officers at the Mason, Mount
Vernon, and Reston districts of the FCPD, and the effects were tracked from
March 3, 2018 to Sept. 1. Cameras were also given to a small sampling of Motor
Squad and Animal Protection officers.
The
study intended to find out if body-worn cameras impacted police activity or
impacted community members' perception of police.
The
research team, which presented their findings at a July 9 Board of Supervisors
subcommittee meeting, reportedly surveyed officers as well as community members
to track the effect the cameras had.
FCPD
summed up the findings with the following statements:
There
was overwhelming support among community members for the widespread adoption of
body worn cameras.
The
majority of community members who interacted with police officers during the
pilot program reported feeling positive not only about the personal experience
but also about FCPD as a whole.
There
was no evidence that the presence or absence of a body worn camera during a
police interaction had an impact of the community member’s satisfaction with
FCPD.
There
was consensus among the officers involved in the pilot that body worn cameras
will increase the gathering of evidence and help settle complaints against
officers.
Most
officers believed that their behavior and that of community members did not
change because of body worn cameras.
