Attorney Generals D Direct ctive 2 2015-1 Police Body W Worn - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Attorney General’s D Direct ctive 2 2015-1 Police Body W Worn Cameras a and Stored B Body Worn Cam Camer era R Rec ecordi dings

Chief Christopher Wagner President, New Jersey State Association of Chief’s of Police Denville Township Police Department cwagner@denvillepolice.org

Public and Media Release of t the Directive

• The Directive on Body Worn Cameras (BWC’s) was issued by the Attorney

General (A.G.) on September 28, 2015

• According to the press release issued by the AG’s Office, the intent of this

directive is to assist municipalities in delivering “the tools to maintain strong relations and trust between New Jersey law enforcement and the residents they serve.”

• The A.G. included the appropriation of $4 Million in Criminal Forfeiture

Funds for the purchase of BWC’s.

• $1.5 Million for the New Jersey State Police and $2.5 Million for local

municipalities

Lo Local Municipality ty Fu Funding

Assistanc nce t e to each c h county w will b be capped b ped based u d upon t n total c county pop

• pulation
• n
• Tier 1 Counties
• Cape May, Cumberland, Hunterdon,

Salem, Sussex and Warren

• Tier 2 Counties
• Atlantic, Gloucester, Mercer,

Somerset

• Tier 3 Counties
• Burlington, Camden, Morris, Ocean,

Passaic, Union

• Tier 4 Counties
• Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex,

Monmouth

BWC C Costs ts

• The AG has allocated $500 toward the purchase of a BWC or camera

package

• Although many manufacturers offer BWC’s for around $500, the

larger cost is in the storage of the video files and the “back end” systems and software.

• All BWC video files MUST be maintained for a MINIMUM of 90 days.
• Depending upon the number of BWC’s an agency purchases, the cost
• f a server to maintain the files will, in many cases, far exceed

$10,000

BWC’s in Lieu of “Dash Cam” Recording Syst ystems

• Police Departments may elect to utilize BWC’s in order to satisfy newly

enacted legislation mandating that all newly purchased police vehicles, utilized primarily for traffic enforcement, must be equipped with Mobile Video Recording (“Dash Cam”) Systems

• Both systems (BWC’s and Dash Cams) have individual options that make

them unique and better applied in some circumstances.

• A BWC, attached to an officers uniform shirt, will not provide the best

evidence in a Motor Vehicle Pursuit, as the majority of the video will capture the steering wheel of the police vehicle while activated.

• However, a BWC will provide better video evidence of Field Sobriety Tests

conducted on a driver when standing out of the view of the police vehicle.

• The Directive on BWC’s is much more specific on deployment and use than

utilizing Dash Cams.

The Directi tive

• The BWC Directive DOES NOT mandate acquisition or use of Body

Worn Cameras

• Rather, the directive leaves the decision on whether or not to deploy

BWC’s to the Chief of Police of the Municipality or Agency.

• If a decision to deploy BWC’s is made, the directive provides guidance
• n how the device is to be used, when it is to be activated, when it

might be deactivated and when recordings might be accessed, viewed, copied, disseminated or otherwise used.

Qu Ques estion

• n
• Which of the following is NOT TRUE of the A.G.’s Directive on BWC’s?
• A. The A.G.’s office will provide up to $500 for the purchase of a BWC or BWC

package

• B. The A.G.’s Directive mandates that ALL municipalities MUST implement a

BWC program

• C. Agencies may choose to implement BWC’s in lieu of purchasing “Dash

Cam’s” to suffice the legislation requiring Dash Cams in all newly purchase patrol vehicles.

• D. Although BWC’s may be purchased for approximately $500, there is a

much larger expense incurred to store the video files.

The Directive cont’d

• If an agency had deployed BWC’s prior to the issuance of the directive,

then the agency must adopt a policy, SOP, order, etc., within 60 days (Sept 28th ) of the issuance of the directive, that is in compliance with the directive

• If an agency has not yet implemented the use of BWC’s prior to the

issuance of this directive, they shall not deploy until they have promulgated a policy, SOP, order, etc. in compliance with the directive

• The County Prosecutor may issue directives or guidelines setting forth

additional procedural or substantive requirements or restrictions.

• The Directive sets a minimum standard and agencies may institute

additional uses and limitations on the use of BWC’s

The Directive cont’d

• The Chief of Police shall decide who, within their agency, will wear the

BWC’s.

• Not every officer must be outfitted. The chief could decide

individually if they will outfit the members of the detective bureau, for instance.

• If a department decides to outfit their officers with BWC’s, the agency

must place a public notice on the website that includes a photo of the

• BWC. If the department does not have a website, it must the be

placed on the municipalities website.

Question

• If a chief of police decides to purchase BWC’s, who must be outfitted

with them

• A. Only Uniformed Personnel
• B. The entire department
• C. Uniformed Personnel and Detectives
• D. The decision to outfit specific officers is up to the chief of police