BODY CAMERA PROJECT: REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION€¦ · • TASER AXON and VieVu LE3 BWC units were...

BODY CAMERA PROJECT: REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION

by

Sergeant Ryan Smith

of

CPD Inspections Unit

December 2, 2014

Presentation Overview• 1. Project Introduction

• 2. Body Worn Camera (BWC) Systems Overview

• 3. Initial BWC Testing by Inspections Unit

• 4. Simulated BWC Scenarios at the Police Academy

• 5. Field Testing of BWC systems at District Three

• 6. Peer-reviewed academic research

• 7. Technology and Systems opinion on BWC deployment

• 8. Preliminary BWC Price Quotes

• 9. Inspections Unit BWC recommendation

BWC Project Introduction• Inspections Unit was tasked to test and evaluate body

worn camera (BWC) systems for potential deployment on May 5, 2014

• Two BWC systems were selected for testing:• TASER AXON Body Camera• VieVu LE3 Body Camera

• Inspections Unit requested a legal opinion from the City of Cincinnati Solicitor’s Office • Officers would not be required to ask for or have consent to

record suspects or citizens if the recording takes place in public with no expectation of privacy

BWC Project Introduction (cont.)• Inspections Unit requested a BWC temporary

procedure from Planning Unit for use in a field trial• Planning Unit published the Body Worn Camera Pilot Program

Procedure in the Department Staff Notes on August 7, 2014

• Inspections Unit requested a liaison from Technology & Systems Section to integrate these BWC units into the Department IT infrastructure

• Inspections Unit requested a BWC field trial in District Three using second and power / third relief officers

BWC Project Introduction: Summary

• Inspections Unit is satisfied that the competing vendors selected for this BWC project were the two most accepted and adopted BWC systems available to American law enforcement agencies when the project was authorized in May of 2014

• The most challenging experience during the introductory phase of the BWC project was establishing the IT network connections sufficient for the TASER AXON hardware and Evidence.com software to interface within existing Department IT infrastructure

The TASER AXON Body Camera

The TASER AXON Body Camera (cont.)

• A “cloud” based body camera system • 640 x 480 VGA video resolution at 30 FPS• 130° field of view camera lens• Retina Low-Light recording capability at less than 1

lux• Approximately 4 hours video storage under highest

quality recording settings; up to 9 hours storage under medium quality recording settings; and up to 13 hours storage available at lowest quality recording setting

• More than 12 hours of battery life under normal operation


• The TASER AXON BWC continually buffers thirty seconds of video before the user activates the camera• When activated the camera then records to internal storage

the previous thirty seconds of buffered video (no audio) and both audio and video until the user deactivates the camera

• Users dock the TASER AXON BWC at the end of their shift at their district or section• The docking station uploads recorded video to the cloud-

based Evidence.com over the internet• Users cannot alter or delete recorded files from the camera• The docking station also recharges the camera


• Evidence.com allows recorded videos to be accessed anywhere on a personal computer with available and sufficient internet to stream large video files

• Evidence.com allows recorded files to be shared with anyone with an email address by emailing the intended recipient a link to open and view said files

• All files accessed through Evidence.com are logged for accountability purposes to document any viewing or copying of files

• All users of Evidence.com are required to have a user account to access the system in any capacity

The VieVu LE3 Body Camera

The VieVu LE3 Body Camera (cont.)

• A local storage based camera system• 1280×720 (HD) or 848×480 (Widescreen SD) at 30 FPS

• 68° field of view camera lens• Enhanced Image Quality and Low Light Capability

• 5 hours of recording time at SD, 3 hours at HD quality

• 72 hours of standby battery capacity when not in use


• The VieVu LE3 camera does not buffer video• The camera records audio and video only when activated• Two to three seconds delay before the camera records

• The VieVu LE3 BWC unit is connected by a USB cable at the end of the shift to a Department computer• Video files are uploaded by installed software on the computer

to local-based storage: Eyewitness Data Vault • Users cannot alter or delete recorded files from the camera• Camera can be recharged slowly while connected to the USB

cable or faster using an included wall charger• There is no docking station required for these cameras


• “Veripatrol” complementary client software is included with the purchase of the VieVu LE3 BWC unit

• Eyewitness Data Vault software was previously installed by Department IT personnel on recently upgraded Department computers currently used in the districts to facilitate police car digital video recordings (DVR)

• The VieVu LE3 BWC was integrated for the purpose of this BWC project into the Eyewitness Data Vault software system as a local-storage option using the Department intranet to store and review recorded files


• Recorded files uploaded onto the Eyewitness Data Vault locally-stored server may be accessed by Department computers with the proper permissions and software installed by IT support – not a cloud system

• All files accessed through Eyewitness Data Vault are logged for accountability purposes to document any viewing or copying of files

• Users of VieVu LE3 BWC units are not required to have an

Eyewitness Data Vault user account to use this BWC system in the field• Supervisors currently have assigned Eyewitness Data Vault accounts

to manage police car DVR videos

Inspections Unit – Initial Testing• Sound quality was tested between these two BWC systems:

• Tested at increasing five foot intervals• VieVu LE3 cameras were largely unaffected by ambient noise• VieVu LE3 cameras recorded much better audio clarity than the

TASER AXON cameras

• Sample videos were recorded during the day and night• VieVu LE3 videos had a narrower field of view (68 degrees) compared

to TASER AXON (130 degrees)• VieVu LE3 videos were much higher quality during the day and with

sufficient ambient light at night• TASER AXON videos were lower quality and grainier overall

comapred to the VieVu LE 3 BWC but recorded much better quality videos at night with low to no ambient light available

Initial Testing: Analysis• TASER AXON BWC units record at a lower video resolution

compared to VieVu LE3 BWC units • This disparity results in lower quality video and smaller files

compared to VieVu LE3 BWC recordings• Compromise of cloud-based versus local-based storage

• Local-based storage is currently a more viable option than uploading to cloud-based storage without an upgrade to the Department IT infrastructure

• Local storage BWC systems will deliver better video and sound quality through higher resolution and larger recorded files than cloud-based BWC systems for the immediate and foreseeable future

BWC Scenarios at the Police Academy

• Training Unit personnel were armed with simunition-loaded firearms and TASER X26 training cartridges to approximate the dynamic of a realistic encounter

• The simulated scenarios were duplicated using the same role players and competing BWC systems during both solo and partner encounters• Police intervention shooting against an armed suspect• TASER X26 deployment against a suspect armed with a stick• Hard hands / use of force / baton shade against a suddenly

combative suspect

BWC Scenarios: Analysis• The higher resolution video and audio quality of the VieVu

LE3 BWC was superior compared to the TASER AXON BWC

• The TASER AXON BWC unit’s wider field of view recorded more of the encounter at the expense of distorted peripheral video quality and depth perception

• Specific and deliberate BWC unit placement of the VieVu LE3 BWC on the officer’s shirt was critical

• Both BWC units were able to effectively record these simulated encounters sufficient to evaluate and justify the respective force options

BWC Field Testing in District Three• TASER AXON and VieVu LE3 BWC units were deployed on District

Three second and power / third relief sworn personnel in a field trial to evaluate the BWC systems during daylight, dusk, and evening hours

• Six BWC units from each competing vendor were secured for purposes of this product testing

• BWC units were primarily deployed on partner units, with the intent of equipping partner officers with different BWC units to compare and contrast the competing products during the same incidents

• Both reliefs deployed these competing BWC systems for a minimum of four weeks

BWC Field Testing in District Three (cont.)

• Inspections Unit personnel responded to second and third reliefs to train sworn personnel on the operation of the competing BWC systems and to review the Body Worn Camera Pilot Program Procedure

• Supervisors and officers were surveyed at the conclusion of their respective field trials to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate these competing BWC systems


Officers were required to record the following incidents:

A. Any non-consensual encounter with a citizen

B. When on-scene with persons suspected of being MHRT or MHRT/V

C. While responding to calls for service in emergency mode

D. During the entirety of traffic or foot pursuits

E. Traffic stops, including the investigation of a vehicle and occupants already stopped or parked


Officers were required to record the following incidents:

F. All requests for consent to search without a warrant, including searches of persons, buildings, or vehicles, will be recorded

G. Requests for searches and deployments of drug-detection canines involving vehicles, when practical

H. Recordings of all persons physically arrested and being transported in any Department vehicle to any location

I. Officers have the discretion to activate the BWC when they believe an event may have evidentiary value

BWC Field Testing: Analysis• Inspections Unit contacted many American law

enforcement agencies regarding their experiences with BWC systems during this project

• Every agency contacted stated their officers disliked BWC systems before the units were deployed

• All agencies stated after deployment their sworn officers were either largely ambivalent at worse or supportive of wearing a BWC unit while on patrol

• District Three second and third relief sworn personnel also experienced a BWC positive perception shift • Inspections Unit asserts that a full BWC deployment will

ultimately be positively perceived by the majority of Department sworn officers

BWC Field Testing: Analysis (cont.)

• Officers surveyed after the District Three field trial preferred the VieVu LE3 BWC compared to the TASER AXON BWC by a statistically significant margin

• Officers stated the TASER AXON BWC was heavy, bulky, and difficult to activate

• Officers stated the VieVu LE3 BWC was easier to use and allowed other officers to instantly recognize that this BWC unit was recording


• Supervisors surveyed after the District Three field trial also preferred the VieVu LE3 BWC compared to the TASER AXON BWC by a statistically significant margin

• Supervisors stated the TASER AXON BWC required more time to review and copy video files because of the delay accessing the cloud-based storage of Evidence.com

• Supervisors stated that VieVu LE3 BWC recorded videos had better video and sound quality, and were easier to review and copy using the local-storage based Eyewitness Data Vault


• Inspections Unit personnel determined during the District Three field trial a concern regarding deployment of the TASER AXON BWC system

• The TASER AXON BWC unit cannot be worn with the uniform shirt and tie or with any jacket issued to Department officers, as this BWC system relies upon the center seam of the officer’s uniform shirt to secure in place

• There is no viable alternative to deploy the TASER AXON Body with the uniform tie or secured to an exterior jacket at this time

• The only TASER / Evidence.com alternative would be to consider the TASER AXON Flex camera instead• Typically head mounted unit on special glasses with an exterior wire that

connects to the control unit


• The VieVu LE3 BWC may be worn with the Department uniform shirt and tie if the BWC unit is placed over the tie and secured in place with the “alligator clip” fastened to the center seam of the shirt

• There is no way to secure the VieVu LE3 BWC to a Department issued jacket without making an external alteration to the jacket

• A nylon loop in black or midnight blue is available with a retail price of $1.99 that could be sewn onto a Department issued jacket to provide an anchor point for the VieVu LE3 BWC

The Rialto (CA) Case Study - 2012

Rialto (CA) Case Study (cont.)

• The first "true" academic study on the use of BWCs was conducted in Southern California by the City of Rialto Police Department. The research was conducted by Rialto’s Police Chief Tony Farrar during his studies at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom

• Chief Farrar’s findings are documented in his graduate thesis: The Inescapable Panopticonic Gaze: The Effect of Body-Worn Cameras On Police Use-Of-Force

Rialto (CA) Case Study (cont.)• The Rialto Case Study analyzed the use of body

cameras during patrol officer shifts. Two study groups were created for this one year research project

• The first group, named “Experimental-Shifts,” required each officer to wear a high definition body camera during his/her shift. The body camera recorded all of the officer’s interactions with the public

• The second group, named “Control-Shifts,” consisted of officers that were instructed not to use body cameras during their shifts

Rialto (CA) Case Study (cont.)For officers that wore BWC systems during the study:

• Use of force incidents declined by 59% • Citizen complaints were reduced by 87.5%

Rialto PD estimated that it costs $20,000 on average to investigate and reach settlements for citizen complaints:

• Rialto PD estimates their use of body cameras saved the direct cost of 21 citizen complaints..

• ..with an estimated savings to their agency of over $400,000

The Mesa (AZ) Case Study - 2013

Mesa (AZ) Case Study (cont.)• The first part of the Mesa PD analysis compared 50 officers who wore body cameras to 50 officers not wearing body cameras

• The second part of this analysis examined the complaint trends of BWC equipped officers before and after they were issued the cameras

• The Mesa Police Department also assessed the impact of body-worn cameras on officer attitudes and officer behavior

Mesa (AZ) Case Study (cont.)

The Mesa PD study concluded that:• Officers wearing body cameras had 65% fewer complaints

compared to the control group of non-camera officers

• Officers wearing cameras had � 60% fewer complaints during the study period compared to their previous year without cameras

• Prior to the start of the project, officers’ attitudes about body cameras were either ambivalent or negative..

• After the body cameras study, officers generally had positive views about the potential impact of the body-worn

cameras: 77% of officers believed the cameras would cause officers to behave more professionally

Perceived Benefits and Concerns of Body Cameras - 2014

Perceived Benefits of Body Cameras

• �Increased transparency and legitimacyThis claim has not been sufficiently tested. There have been virtually no studies on citizens’ views of the technology

• Improved police officer behaviorSeveral of the empirical studies have documented substantial decreases in citizen complaints and police uses of force

The decline in complaints and use of force may be tied to improved citizen behavior, improved police officer behavior, or a combination of the two

Perceived Benefits (cont.)

• Improved citizen behavior There is evidence in the research that citizens are

less likely to file frivolous complaints against officers wearing cameras

• Expedited resolution of complaints and lawsuits• Several of the empirical studies indicate that body

worn cameras assist in the resolution of citizen complaints against police officers

• No research has tested the technology’s specific impact on lawsuits against police

Academic Research: Analysis• There is a scarcity of contemporary peer-reviewed

academic research regarding the effects of BWC deployment given how recently this technology has become accessible to law enforcement agencies.

• Inspections Unit asserts that the current Cincinnati Police Body Worn Camera Pilot Program Procedure is consistent with current law enforcement best practices as evidenced by a review of the currently available academic literature

• Inspections Unit asserts that a deployment of BWC units on Department sworn officers will positively affect the investigation and resolution of citizen complaints and may decrease rates of complaints and use of force incidents consistent with the available academic research

Academic Research: Analysis (cont.)

• Inspections Unit asserts that records requests of BWC video will increase in frequency after a full deployment of BWC units on Department sworn personnel

• Inspections Unit personnel have contacted other police agencies to review their experiences with BWC systems:• The Modesto (CA) PD required two sergeants to manage BWC

units for 120 officers• The Mesa (AZ) PD required one lieutenant and one sergeant to

manage BWC units for 50 officers• The Cook County (IL) Sheriff’s Department required one

supervisor and two officers to manage BWC units for 250 officers• The San Diego (CA) PD required four police officers to manage

BWC units for 600 officers

Technology & Systems Opinion• Mr. Tony Schlegel, the IT liaison for this project,

advised that any large-scale deployment of BWC units will strain the Department IT infrastructure

• Mr. Schlegel stated that the recently upgraded District computers equipped with Eyewitness Data Vault software currently used to facilitate police car DVR units were set up to accommodate body cameras using local-based server storage

• Mr. Schlegel recommended a storage space study for these systems before a full deployment of VieVu LE3 BWC units to make sure the pre-allocated server storage space was sufficient

Technology & Systems Opinion (cont.)

• A bandwidth study involving City of Cincinnati ETS would have to be conducted if the Department chose to deploy cloud-based BWC systems consistent with TASER / Evidence.com

• Mr. Schlegel stated there is only a limited sized (IT infrastructure) pipe that the City’s data travels through

• Mr. Schlegel advised that if the current IT infrastructure pipe is not adequate enough for the (TASER AXON) video, the Department would need to look at separate DSL connections at each location which would incur additional financial costs

Technology & Systems: Analysis• Any large deployment of BWC systems will require

the full cooperation of Technology & Systems personnel to facilitate this process

• The existing Department IT infrastructure was recently upgraded with the intent of supporting BWC systems, which would only facilitate a local-storage option such as the VieVu LE3 BWC

• A cloud-based option such as the TASER AXON BWC would most likely require an upgrade to the IT infrastructure

Preliminary BWC Price Quotes• Comparing these two quotes may be problematic

given how disparate their pricing models are• VieVu LE3 BWC systems do not require user

accounts, licenses, storage costs, docking stations, or any recurring financial costs after the initial purchase as their pricing model is predicated upon local-based storage managed by the purchaser

• TASER AXON BWC systems provide everything needed to deploy their hardware and software except for the IT internet connection to access their cloud-based system, but the purchaser incurs higher initial and recurring financial costs for said services

Preliminary BWC Price Quotes (cont.)

• Inspections Unit requested preliminary pricing estimates from the competing BWC vendors for a minimum deployment of 500 BWC units

• Inspections Unit submits that 500 BWC cameras would allow BWC units to be deployed on all police officers and police specialists engaged in the patrol function and wearing the Department uniform

Preliminary BWC Price Quotes (cont.)

• TASER AXON Quotes (500 BWC units):• OPTION 1 – 500 AXON Flex Systems with 5 Year ULTIMATE

TAP Program: Total - $2,250,204 • OPTION 2 – 500 AXON Body Systems and BASIC TAP

Program: Total - $1,699,400 • OPTION 3 – 500 AXON Body Systems and 5 Years

Evidence.com with Extended Warranty (no TAP): Total - $1,308,200

• VieVu LE3 Quote (500 BWC Units)• 500 VieVu LE3 BWC systems with three years extended

warranty: Total - $450,250

Preliminary BWC Price Quotes: Analysis

• Inspections Unit formulated a five year projection based upon these BWC vendor quotes to illustrate a basic comparative analysis

• The provided price quotes were divided by 500 users by 60 months to determine a rudimentary monthly cost per officer per month over a five year period from date of purchase• TASER AXON (Ultimate Tap): $75.01 per officer per month• TASER AXON (Basic Tap): $56.65 per officer per month• TASER AXON (No TAP): $43.61 per officer per month• VieVu LE3 BWC: $15.01 per officer per month

BWC Project Recommendation• Inspections Unit respectfully recommends consideration

of the VieVu LE3 BWC for purchase and deployment by the Cincinnati Police Department

• Inspections Unit respectfully submits the following to complement this product recommendation consistent with what Inspections Unit personnel have learned during BWC testing and evaluation:• Inspections Unit submits that this recommendation is contingent

upon purchase of VieVu LE3 BWC units within the next six to twelve months

• Inspections Unit asserts that BWC technology will continue to rapidly evolve sufficient to re-evaluate this recommendation after twelve months have elapsed from the submission of this report

BWC Project Recommendation (cont.)

• Inspections Unit respectfully requests an evaluation of which officers should be issued BWC units, specifically:• Sergeant and lieutenants engaged in the patrol function• All sworn officers below the rank of captain if BWC systems are

to be worn during Outside Employment Extension of Police Service Details.

• Inspections Unit respectfully recommends that Technology & Systems Section explore more efficient methods to share recorded videos with prosecutors, defense attorneys, and the public, besides copying recorded videos to physical DVD media consistent with current Department policy

BWC Project Recommendation (cont.)

• Inspections Unit respectfully recommends a review of Department records request policies and procedures to evaluate the necessity to redact crime victims and juveniles from BWC videos before said videos are released after a records request has been filed

• Inspections Unit respectfully recommends a review of Department records request policies and procedures to address a potential Department response to records requests of all BWC video recorded by all Department sworn officers

• Inspections Unit respectfully requests Planning Unit to continually reevaluate the Department written procedure regarding BWC usage as best practices in law enforcement regarding BWC usage will likewise continue to rapidly evolve over the next several years

BODY CAMERA PROJECT: REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION€¦ · • TASER AXON and VieVu LE3 BWC units were...

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