Scotts Valley Police to soon get body cameras

UPDATE 2/9/18 5:45PM
Scotts Valley Police Department will be testing out body worn cameras in the next few months.

The department says they have had audio recording and dash cams for years, but this will be another perspective when officers come into contact with people. It’s something that will not only benefit the officers, but civilians too, “I think it also benefits the public in that we can show them this is what we’re doing out there on the streets and if there is a complaint down the road whether it be use of force or behavior of some sort on the officers part we can show, well this is what we saw from our perspective and really this is about perspective,” says Lieutenant John Wilson.

While transparency has not been an issue for Scotts Valley Police Department, they do acknowledge that in the past there has been some controversy surrounding body cams, “I definitely think there is a concern of balance between privacy and the need to capture information. I think that’s something we are very sensitive to as far as privacy rights and making sure these videos don’t get out there and aren’t used for embarrassment purposes but are used as a tool for law enforcement,” says Lt. Wilson.

Community members KION spoke with seemed to like the idea, “I think it’s probably a good idea, um transparency, it’s gonna protect the officers so if they get into any sticky situations they’ll have proof of how they handled it.”
“If it helps them to do their work better then of course, I mean we have all of these gadgets to help make life easier.”

KION also spoke with a Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy who says the cameras will benefit everyone’s safety, “I think it’s a great idea, our agency has body warn cameras and we’ve had them for a little while now and I think it helps keep everybody safe,” says Deputy Roberts.

The department is currently developing a policy for the camera’s and will then present a draft to the city council. Council member and Mayor Jim Reed says they have been looking at other departments with body cameras and it seems to be a win-win, “Studies are clear that departments that adopt cameras, they see a big decrease in claims about police brutality or officers acting inappropriately and of course they increase measurable the trust that the community has of how the officers a protecting them. It’s a win win all around.”

The department has taken community feedback into consideration through the process and says they will continue to take feedback through their office and facebook page.

After a policy is presented the department will look into different types of cameras and begin testing. SVPD expects to have them rolled out by next year.

PREVIOUS STORY:

Scotts Valley Police Department will be testing out body worn cameras in the next few months.

The department says they have had audio recording and dash cams for years, but this will be another perspective when officers come into contact with people.

While transparency has not been an issue for Scotts Valley Police Department, this is one way to help citizens understand what they do on a day to day basis.

They are still in the early stages of getting the cameras and will be testing out several different versions.

SVPD expects to roll them out by next year.

KION’s Ashley Keehn will have more at 5 & 6.