Council Approves Body Camera Service for CHPD
Sep 17, 2021 12:00AM ● By Story by Shaunna BoydCITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - At the September 9 meeting, the Citrus Heights City Council held a public hearing regarding the acceptance of the 2021 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Funds for the Citrus Heights Police Department (CHPD). The Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Bureau of Justice Statistics allocate this federal funding annually, and each state’s distribution is calculated based on population size and rates of violent crime. Through this program, cities and counties can apply for these funds to use for public safety expenditures.
The CHPD’s application requested funding in order to purchase ballistic shields for the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team. The grant also requires that at least 3% of the funding award be used to support employee trainings on the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which is an updated, standardized way for law enforcement agencies across the country to submit crime data. Compliance with this new reporting system is a federal requirement.
The CHPD’s 2021 JAG Grant award is $24,698, and the City Council unanimously approved the funding acceptance.
The Council also considered amendments to the Citrus Heights Municipal Code regarding the sale of tobacco products. When Citrus Heights incorporated in 1997, the City adopted the municipal code of Sacramento County, and over the years, sections of code have been updated as needed. During a recent review, it was discovered that the code had not been updated to comply with amendments in state and federal law that changed the legal age for tobacco purchase and use from 18 to 21.
The proposed amendments to the City’s Municipal Code will ensure compliance with current laws, and the changes will have no fiscal impact. The amendments were unanimously approved by the Council.
The CHPD requested the City Council consider a contract with LensLock Inc. to provide body-worn camera systems for its officers. Body-worn cameras provide an objective, unbiased recording of police interactions with community members. The CHPD staff report on the subject explains that body-worn cameras have a positive impact on police departments, helping ensure professionalism, transparency, and accountability. The cameras are a cost-effective use of funding because they can decrease frivolous claims of police brutality, improve officer safety, expedite the resolution of cases/incidents, and improve relations between officers and the community.
Although the CHPD has been interested in implementing body-worn cameras for years now, the systems have always been too expensive for the City. But in recent years, various companies have begun offering body camera services that provide the equipment and the administrative support systems. This has made body cameras more affordable and accessible.
In July, the CHPD requested proposals from body-worn camera system vendors. The requirements were the ability to provide at least 90 cameras (one for each of the department’s sworn officers), and that all service, repair, and replacement of devices would be done with no additional cost to the City. In addition to the cameras and accessories, the service also had to include the required software to securely store, manage, retrieve, redact, and share all the recorded video and audio. The software needed to work with CHPD’s current computer-aided dispatch and records management system, and the redaction capabilities had to comply with the California Public Records Act. The request also specified that the vendors had to provide at least a five-year service agreement, including all the set up, training, maintenance, service, and support of all hardware and software systems.
After reviewing five submitted proposals, the selection committee identified LensLock Inc. as the most cost-effective vendor that could meet all of the CHPD’s requirements. LensLock Inc. is already providing body-worn camera services to the police departments in the nearby cities of Roseville and Rocklin.
The LensLock Inc. proposed five-year service contract will not exceed $570,000, and that cost will not impact the general fund. It will be funded through the Citizens’ Option for Public Safety (COPS) Grant and a flexible spending credit provided by the City’s general liability/workers compensation program.
Vice Mayor Porsche Middleton said that the body-worn camera service is a “critical component” of transparency and accountability. She was “most impressed by the scope of work,” including unlimited data storage management, automatic replacement of equipment at 30-month intervals, and quick replacement of any damaged equipment. Middleton described the service as “responsible, and responsive to our officers.”
Mayor Steve Miller agreed that the full-service support system provided by the company is what finally made this accessible for the City. “I’m glad we’re able to finally do this,” he said.
Councilmember Bret Daniels said that approval of the cameras will require that the City establish a policy on the release of body camera video. The CHPD already has some draft policies prepared that align with industry standards, so the policy can be reviewed and approved quickly.
The contract with LensLock Inc. was unanimously approved by the Council, and the body-worn cameras will be deployed sometime in October.