Law and Public Safety Committee: Body Worn Camera Presentation by Sergeant Ryan Smith of CPD Inspections Unit August 31, 2015 Presentation Overview • 1. Review of previous Cincinnati Police Department body worn camera (BWC) initiatives  …what we have learned • 2. Contemporary discussion of body worn camera deployments  ..where we are right now • 3. Projection for proceeding with deployment of body worn camera units  ..where do we go from here Previous BWC Initiatives • Cincinnati Police Department conducted a test and evaluation of the first generation TASER AXON Flex body worn camera (BWC) system in January, 2010 • CPD Information Technology personnel reviewed City IT capacity in late 2012 through early 2013: “stress test” of the network • Determination: A Cloud-based BWC system would require an upgrade to City IT infrastructure 2014 BWC Test and Evaluation • Inspections Unit was tasked to test and evaluate body worn camera (BWC) systems for potential deployment on May 5, 2014 • Two BWC systems were selected for testing:  TASER AXON Body Camera (cloud based system)  VieVu LE3 Body Camera (local storage based system) • Inspections Unit requested a legal opinion from the City of Cincinnati Solicitor’s Office  Officers would not be required to ask for or have consent to record suspects or citizens if the recording takes place in public with no expectation of privacy 2014: BWC Test and Evaluation (cont.) • Inspections Unit requested a BWC temporary procedure from Planning Unit for use in a field trial  Planning Unit published the Body Worn Camera Pilot Program Procedure in the Department Staff Notes on August 7, 2014 • Inspections Unit requested a liaison from Technology & Systems Section to integrate these BWC units into the Department IT infrastructure • Inspections Unit personnel conducted initial product testing of these competing BWC units 2014: BWC Test and Evaluation (cont.) • Inspections Unit and Training Unit personnel conducted simulated use of force scenarios at the Police Academy using these BWC systems • Inspections Unit researched academic peer reviewed literature regarding BWC systems • Inspections Unit conducted a BWC field trial in District Three using second and power / third relief officers (August through November, 2014) The TASER AXON Body Camera The TASER AXON Body Camera • Positive attributes:  Better low light / evening performance  Wider viewing angle (130 degree field of view)  Buffers 30 seconds of video before the officer activates the unit • Negative attributes:  Subpar overall audio and video performance  Could not be worn with the CPD uniform tie or jacket  Wider viewing angle at the expense of depth perception  Officers found this BWC to be bulky and more difficult to turn on  Cloud based system – slower to copy and review videos  Would require external IT upgrade and more expensive (x3) The VieVu LE3 Body Camera The VieVu LE3 Body Camera • Positive attributes:  Better overall audio and video (HD) performance  Greatly preferred by both officers and supervisors  Local storage system – instant review and retrieval of videos  CPD currently has IT framework in place to support locally stored BWC systems and is cheaper per unit (x1/3) • Negative attributes:  Poor low light / evening performance  Narrow viewing angle (68 degrees)  Does not buffer anything before the officer activates the unit 2014 BWC Project: Summary • The “perfect” BWC unit would be a combination of these two tested BWC systems  These BWC systems were the best two available when the CPD BWC Project was conceived in May of 2014, but this technology was first released in Fall, 2013 • Cincinnati Police Department officers positively embraced wearing BWC units  Initial reluctance and animosity by CPD officers regarding BWC usage before the project trended positively when surveyed after the field test and exposure to BWC systems  Consistent with other police agencies polled (perception shift) Contemporary Review of BWC Systems • BWC system technology has progressed significantly since the 2014 CPD BWC Project  The BWC systems CPD reviewed in 2014 are now outdated • There is no contemporary consensus on the specifics of BWC deployments in the academic peer reviewed literature or professional publications (PERF, IACP)  Statistical evidence of significant reductions in use of force (50- 60%) and citizen complaints (60-80%) following BWC deployments  Literature recommends specific guidelines on BWC usage by officers and later review by supervisors  Financial costs to support BWC infrastructure after deployment may exceed the initial BWC purchase price Contemporary Review of BWC Systems (cont.) • There is no contemporary consensus on releasing BWC recorded video to the media or public  Redaction of faces, victim statements, juveniles, expectations of privacy in residences  Legal requirements and considerations • CPD cannot currently process BWC recorded videos after full deployment for 600+ officers absent additional resources  Challenge of copying recorded videos to physical media  Other agencies have tasked sworn and non-sworn personnel to facilitate BWC recorded video vs. patrol supervisors  600+ officers with potentially 1 – 2 hours of recorded video per day that will gradually increase over time Contemporary Review of BWC Systems (cont.) • Managing Media and Public Expectations  CPD cannot possibly review or release every BWC recorded video following a full deployment of BWC systems  Other police agencies have curtailed their interest or been forced to cancel existing BWC programs because of records requests for all police agency recorded BWC videos • BWC IT infrastructure concerns  Local-storage BWC systems could be supported by existing IT infrastructure (DVR servers previously upgraded in 2014)  Cloud-based BWC systems would require an upgrade to the IT infrastructure (recurring costs and bandwidth concerns) BWC Deployment Projections • New and pending BWC system technology  BWC Specifications spreadsheet  Discussions of upcoming products with BWC vendors  IACP 2015 in Chicago, Illinois: October 24-27, 2015 • Cloud-based vs. local-storage BWC systems  Ideal solution would meet CPD BWC hardware specifications with integrated software that could facilitate virtual redaction and sharing of recorded videos in lieu of physical media  Most likely that the TASER Evidence.com cloud-based BWC system would include an integrated solution  Vendor conversations regarding local-storage software solutions BWC Deployment Timeline - 2nd Quarter 2016 • Operational planning recommendation:  Cloud vs local-storage based systems (Budget and IT)  Compatible hardware and software platform (November 2015)  Select two – three BWC vendors (November 2015)  Field T&E of selected BWC systems (January – March, 2016) • Strategic planning recommendation:  BWC policy and procedure (best practices consensus)  Release of BWC recorded video (records request policy)  BWC recorded video management (no physical media)  Anticipating and managing public expectations (training) BWC Deployment Timeline - 2nd Quarter 2016 (cont). Five Committees for the 2015 BWC Project: 1. Operations / When To Record 2. Data Management / Access 3. Officer Concerns / Buy In 4. Equipment Specifications 5. Public / Council / Mayor Expectations