Yarmouth police look to move forward with body-worn cameras technology

Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson hoped the body-worn camera technology would be "operational" by September.

But with Massachusetts mandating a city vote for system leases that go beyond three years, body-worn cameras won't find their focus in the city until 2022.

"We expected that we would use them now," said Frederickson. "But when we got into the procurement process, we found that it was cheaper to get a five to ten year contract, and that requires a vote at the city council."

Yarmouth voters approved at their city meeting on the 18th. Another vote is scheduled for Tuesday at a special session of the city to move forward with the new camera system program, said Bob Whritenour, Yarmouth city administrator.

"The article makes it possible to lease police technology for a period of up to 10 years," said Whritenour. "Currently we are only allowed to finance such projects under state law for up to three years, unless the city sets a longer standard."

Frederickson expects a positive outcome at the city assembly, but said nothing will be "set in stone" about the camera systems until after the city assembly votes. The unforeseen delay will postpone paperwork and officer training until next year, he said.

If approved, Yarmouth would be the second Cape Town Police Department to use body-worn cameras. The Mashpee Police Department launched its body camera pilot program in December 2020.

Dash-mounted cameras associated with body-worn technology must also be installed in every Yarmouth police cruiser, pushing the timeline even further back, Frederickson said.

"I would like to tell you it will take two weeks, but it won't," he said. "It can take four months for everything to be installed and running 100%."

Pay-as-you-go for Yarmouth Police

With the city assembly pending vote, Deputy Chief Kevin Lennon is using the extra time to research technology bundles and packages through potential provider WatchGuard Technologies, which offers mobile video solutions for law enforcement agencies. The "Body Camera-as-a-Service Program" provides a pay-as-you-go option for law enforcement agencies looking to start an "all-inclusive body wear program," Lennon said.

"You can buy and own cameras directly or create a service plan that gives you the camera, the mounting system and unlimited access to the central communications program with external storage," said Lennon. "We opt for the usage-based service plan."

Andres Lacambra, Senior Director, Mobile Video and Motorola Solutions, said that WatchGuard, which was acquired by Motorola Solutions in 2019, offers body-worn camera programs based on understanding the challenges associated with being a police officer. For example, since the wireless in-car system is connected to the cameras and the emergency radio, portable cameras start recording as soon as an officer is dispatched to an incident and the cruiser siren and lights are activated.

"Officers often have to think about many things at the same time when they are faced with an incident," he said. “We're trying to make it as simple as possible so that officers have as much time to focus on a mission and not worry about the technology. At the same time, they can avoid getting into situations in which they forget to capture something important. "

The external computer storage Lacambra said is a cloud-based system - "like iTunes for music" - that transfers the collected video or "original evidence" from an officer's shift into an evidence system. It documents what happened at a certain point in time: when it was uploaded, who saw it and whether it was edited, exported or compromised.

“This solution gives the agency the ability to organize all of the videos. You have the ability to manage content and classify it according to different types of incidents, ”said Lacambra. "It also provides tools for officials to edit and share evidence with the justice system - share it with prosecutors."

Much of the technology will remain consistent and "fairly straightforward" across police platforms, Lacambra said, but it is the actual "procedures and policies" such as privacy, arrest warrants, and length of data collection that will vary from state to state.

"There are all of the content handling procedures and guidelines that the agency needs to put in place," he said. "That is in the hands of every police authority."

To address the guidelines associated with the new technology, an internal committee made up of Lennon and six to eight Yarmouth officials met twice in the past six months to develop procedures for police body-worn cameras, including when to at which they have to be switched on, when and by whom videos can be viewed and how long videos are stored in the cloud. Modeling Yarmouth policies extensively using Massachusetts State Police guidelines and consulting with the Cape and Islands prosecutor, Lennon said the Yarmouth trials are "85% complete."

"Much of the language between the guidelines is very similar, so we need to adapt certain things to Yarmouth based on our boss, senior management and the union," said Lennon. "The directive is in the works, but we should have a final stamp of approval by December."

Policies will also depend on evolving body-worn technology legislation as well as the Police Reform Act signed by Governor Charlie Baker in December 2020, creating a standardized licensing and training process for police accountability and transparency.

As laws grow and change as law enforcement technology develops, "a lot more is to come," according to Frederickson.

"It's a developing area," he said. “I think there will be more guidelines and guidelines over time. Gray areas become clear one way or another. "

The Mashpee Police are running the cameras

With Yarmouth Police on hold on body-worn cameras until after the town council vote, the Mashpee Police Department's pilot program will extend the wearable camera technology to June 2022, Police Chief Scott Carline said. By extending the program, the state could “continue to advise on future mandates for cameras worn on the body under the new reform law”.

"I would like to get all the information the state gives me before we implement any guidelines," said Carline. "Regardless, we have consistently received positive feedback from the officials involved and I couldn't be happier with the direction this program has gone."

The pilot program, which was originally scheduled to run for a year, "went so well," Carline said, that Mashpee police bought two additional portable devices, bringing the total to five body-worn cameras shared by officers.

"We monitor the cameras every day for training purposes, and the evidence they provide is extremely eye-opening," said Carline. “It's one thing to read a report and get an idea of ​​what happened instead of actually seeing it on video. It has brought a much higher level of professionalism to our entire patrol operations. "

For Frederickson, the success that law enforcement agencies like Mashpee have enjoyed with wearable technology has further demonstrated that body-worn cameras will help the Yarmouth Police Department "build credibility within the community."

"We want to make sure our community is protected in the way that it sees fit," he said. “Hopefully the evidence will show that there is a tremendous amount of professionalism going on. There are many reports saying otherwise, but we are confident that this will be a positive addition to the department. "

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