Aberdeen Police To Phase In Body-Worn Cameras

ABERDEEN, Md. (WJZ) -- The Aberdeen Police Department will begin phasing in body-worn cameras for its officers.

The three-phase process will begin on Aug. 26, when body-worn cameras will be issued to two patrol squads to test. Phase 2 will begin on Sept. 3 when the remaining squads will receive their body-worn cameras. Phase 3 is when Detectives, School Resource Officers, and the Special Operations Unit will be equipped with the cameras.

Officers will record encounters for the following reasons:

• At the initiation of a call for service or other activity that is enforcement or investigative
• All enforcement and investigation related citizen contacts
• Documentation of evidence that can be used in the prosecution of criminal and traffic offenses
• Arrests and transports
• Traffic stops
• Priority responses
• Vehicle and foot pursuits
• Suspicious situations
• All searches (persons, vehicles, structures, effects), except strip searches
• Interviews and interrogations
• Mental health interventions
• Any contact that becomes adversarial after the initial contact, in a situation that would not otherwise require recording

Officers will notify people that they are recording, but they do not need consent or permission from the public to begin a recording.

Each encounter will be recorded for the duration of the event and will only turn off the body-worn camera under the following circumstances:

• The officer has left the scene and anticipates no further involvement in the event
• A supervisor has authorized that a recording may cease
• The officer is no longer engaged in a related investigative or enforcement activity
• The officer is entering an allied agency's facility whose policy requires deactivation of the camera
• The event has concluded

An officer may review a body-camera recording for any work-related reason, including but not limited to:

• Ensuring the Body Camera system is working properly
• Assisting with the writing of a report or other official document
• Reviewing and critiquing the officer's own performance
• Preparing for court
• Responding to a civil suit, criminal investigation (if the officer is the subject of the investigation), citizen complaint, or administrative complaint
• The officer shall have the ability to review the officer's Body Camera recording of the subject incident prior to making a statement

The Records Section will release to the public or through subpoenas and summonses Body Camera recordings, according to the Public Information Act.

The Aberdeen Police Department will retain body-worn video footage based on the following retention schedule:

In:
• Harford County