Title
Staff Report for a Resolution Approving the Purchase of Body Worn Digital Video Cameras and a Digital Management System from Taser International
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The utilization of body worn cameras by police personnel will assist in criminal prosecution, potentially reduce civil liability, and aid in the review of alleged misconduct. In addition, a digital storage management system will provide an industry standard digital storage management solution for all electronic evidence, replacing the current manual storage solution.
Staff recommends the purchase of body worn digital video cameras and a digital storage management system, and authorization for the City Manager or his designee to execute the contract with Taser International, in an amount not to exceed $441,306.82 over a 5 year period, broken down as $127,797.08 in the first year and $78,377.44 in each subsequent year.
BACKGROUND
The San Leandro Police Department handles an average of 90,000 incidents per year. Liability issues and allegations of police misconduct consume considerable resources for police departments throughout the United States and the San Leandro Police Department is no exception. With the advent of cellular telephones with photo and video capabilities, recorded documentation of an event can be captured by citizens after police action has begun and often does not provide a complete depiction of the incident, particularly from the officer's perspective.
The Rialto Police Department partnered with the University of Cambridge and conducted a study of officer worn body cameras over a 12-month period. The results of the study showed the department experienced an 88% decline in the number of complaints filed against officers. The study also ran a comparison of Rialto police officers who were wearing body cameras and police officers who did not wear body cameras, and the data collected revealed officers used force nearly 60% less when offic...
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