Some San Diego Sheriff's deputies will begin wearing body cameras as part of a 90-day trial.
Deputies at the Rancho San Diego station, Lakeside substation, Vista station, North Coastal station and Rural Command will wear body cameras starting Friday. Deputies assigned to the Hall of Justice who work primarily in field operations will also wear body cameras.
"This is one of the most significant programs we have initiated since I was elected Sheriff, and I want to do it the right way – for our personnel, and for our communities,” Sheriff Bill Gore said in a statement.
The Vista station will have 22 deputies with body cameras, the Rancho San Diego station will have 16 deputies with cameras, North Coastal will have 15, Lakeside will have eight and Rural Command will have two. Deputies at the Hall of Justice will have 12 cameras.
The cameras will be provided by WatchGuard Video, TASER International and Vievu. Each company will each have 30-day in-field trials, Gore announced. Deputies who participate in the trial phase will be trained by the providers.
Once the trial phase is over, participants will provide feedback, review and analysis. That information will be used when making a final decision on the vendor.
A Body-Worn Cameras committee established in August 2014 has been examining the sustainability and feasibility of body-worn cameras for the past 18 months.
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During that time, committee members met with agencies across the west coast, including those with the San Diego Police Department, Chula Vista Police Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Arizona Police Department, to discuss their experiences with body cameras. Members also looked at various providers, equipment, best practices for storage and policies.
San Diego Police officers have been wearing body cameras for more than a year now.
Officials also spoke with members of the Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board to assess the technology and how it would serve the community.
