Carlsbad Police to Equip All Officers With Body-Worn Camera

“Technology has already transformed our lives, and that extends to how law enforcement does its job,” said Police Chief Neil Gallucci in a statement.

Another law enforcement agency in San Diego will soon be wearing body cameras. 

Following a two-month pilot program, the Carlsbad Police Department (CPD) will begin equipping its officers with body-worn cameras. The contract was approved by the Carlsbad City Council at its Tuesday meeting. 

“Technology has already transformed our lives, and that extends to how law enforcement does its job,” said Police Chief Neil Gallucci in a statement. “Body-worn cameras not only assist in the collection of evidence, but they can also enhance public trust, which is critical to keeping Carlsbad safe and secure.”

Before officers can use the cameras, the department will work to develop a policy that better details when officers should turn the cameras on and when not to use them. The policy will also specify how to collected data is stored and who can access the footage, the department said. For those interested, the policy will be posted on their website. 

Other countywide agencies that are testing or have adopted the use of body-worn cameras are the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, Chula Vista Police Department, Coronado Police Department, and Escondido Police Department.

The department chose the TASER Axon Flex Camera for their officers. Those cameras, once implented, will be clearly visible, according to project manager Captain Mickey Williams. 

“We understand there is a lot of curiosity about body-worn cameras, and we want the public to have as much information as possible about the department’s use of this resource,” said Williams.

The cost of the cameras, training, maintenance and data storage is expected to cost $156,409 annually.

The City of Carlsbad will pay $19,503 to install the necessary programs and an additional $14,873 a year to operate a separate internet connection to upload the footage to a secure cloud-based storage system. To buy the equipment, the city plans to use $114,812 in grant funding. 

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