RPD Bodycam Policy
RPD Bodycam Policy
RPD Bodycam Policy
GENERAL ORDER
I. PURPOSE
To establish procedures and provide guidance related to the use of a Body Worn Camera
(BWC) and the management, storage, and retrieval of BWC recordings in accordance with
best practices and the law. [CALEA 41.3.8a]
This revision allows personnel who are subject to being called out and have been
approved by the Chief of Police (based on the frequency of call out and the nature of the
assignment) to take the assigned BWC home. It permits a police supervisor (Sergeant or
above) to take a screen shot of an officer’s BWC video from a City of Richmond
computer and use that image in a Person of Interest or Wanted Person flyer. This
directive change requires that Officers share all videos containing evidence of an arrest
with the Richmond Commonwealth Attorney’s Office within seven (7) days of that arrest
using the prescribed method of sharing cases containing video evidence covered in BWC
training. Finally, it changes the retention period for non-evidentiary recordings from 90
days to 60 days. The specific changes are noted in bold italicized text throughout the
document.
III. POLICY
It is the policy of the Richmond Police Department that officers shall activate the BWC when
such use is appropriate to the proper performance of his or her official duties, where the
recordings are consistent with this policy and the law. Law enforcement use of BWC has
proven effective in reducing violent confrontations, uses of force, and complaints against
officers. This policy does not govern the use of hidden recording devices used in undercover
operations.
All employees are expected to fully comply with the guidelines and timelines set forth in this
general order. Responsibility rests with the Division Commander to ensure that any
violations of policy are investigated and appropriate training, counseling, and/or disciplinary
action is initiated.
V. DEFINITION
B. Body Worn Camera Unit Coordinator: Employees the rank of lieutenant or above who
are designated by their commander to assist with the implementation and use of BWCs
within their precinct/division by providing assistance and guidance to officers who are
assigned BWCs.
C. Body-Worn Camera: The Body-Worn Camera (BWC) is an audio and video recording
system worn by officers, which captures encounters and activities from the officer’s
perspective. The system consists of the camera, battery pack and several mounting
options.
D. Digital Evidence: BWC files, including photographs, audio recordings, and video
footage, captured by a BWC and stored digitally on Evidence.com.
E. Docking Station: Hardware connected to the Richmond Police Department network that
is designed to download digital evidence from the BWC and uploaded to Evidence.com.
F. Metadata: The IBR number and other descriptors used to identify the categorization and
retention period for the BWC recordings.
VI. PROCEDURE
A. Operation:
The Richmond Police Department has adopted the use of the BWC to accomplish
several objectives.
d) The BWC may also be useful in documenting crime and accident scenes or
other events that include, but are not limited to, the confiscation and
documentation of evidence or contraband.
NOTE: Officers are reminded that their BWC will “beep” twice every two
minutes to remind them that the camera is activated. Officers are cautioned
that they should turn the “beep” volume down in situations where it may
compromise their safety.
(8) Any incident where the officer believes its use would be appropriate,
or valuable to document the incident/encounter as potential evidence.
d) Officers equipped with BWCs who are on the scene of an incident and are
not the primary, or log unit, or responsible for completing an IBR shall
inform the officer completing the IBR of their BWC recording(s) so that the
reporting officer may record this information in his or her IBR report.
Page 3 of 10 General Order 01-20 (08/03/16)
BODY-WORN CAMERAS
e) Officers shall inform individuals that they are being recorded. Officers will
make the following statement: “I am Officer (Last Name) and this encounter
is being recorded.”
f) The BWC shall continue to record until the officer has completed his/her
interaction with the subject/incident, or until one of the following conditions
is met:
Note: The officer may stop recording during transports, but should start
recording again before removing the subject from the vehicle until the event
is concluded. If the camera is turned off temporarily before the conclusion of
the incident, the officer should state on camera audio the time and reason for
the interruption.
g) If an officer fails to activate the BWC, fails to record the entire contact, or
interrupts the recording, the officer shall document why a recording was not
made, was interrupted, or was terminated in an Incident-Based Report (IBR)
or on a Field Interview Report (FIR) if no IBR is otherwise required.
b) Police personnel shall use only BWCs issued by the Richmond Police
Department. The BWC equipment and all data, images, video, and metadata
captured, recorded, or otherwise produced by the issued BWC equipment is
the sole property of the Richmond Police Department.
f) Officers shall inspect and test the BWC prior to each shift to verify proper
functioning and shall notify their immediate supervisor of any problems
immediately. If the officer’s immediate supervisor is off-duty, the first
available supervisor should be contacted.
g) Officers shall not edit, redact, alter, erase, duplicate, copy, share, or
otherwise distribute, nor attempt to do so, in any manner BWC recordings
without prior written authorization and approval from the Chief of Police, or
designee.
i) The department reserves the right to limit or restrict an officer from viewing
any video file(s).
BWCs shall only be used for official purposes in conjunction with official law
enforcement duties. The BWC shall not be used to record:
6. Recognizing that there are certain areas in medical treatment facilities in which
there is a higher expectation of privacy, BWC equipment shall only be activated:
1. The Body Worn Camera (BWC) and all video files, images, sounds, and data
recorded by an RPD issued BWC are the property of the Richmond Police
Department and shall only be used for official business. Accessing, copying, or
releasing files for non-law enforcement purposes is strictly prohibited.
2. All files shall be securely transferred to Evidence.com no later than the end of
each tour of duty. Each file shall contain information related to the date, BWC
identifier, and assigned officer.
D. Supervisory Responsibilities
1. Supervisory personnel shall ensure that officers equipped with BWC devices
utilize them in accordance with the policy and procedures defined herein.
2. The Body Worn Camera Unit Coordinator will provide BWC assistance and
technical support to Officers in their assigned Precinct/Division.
NOTE: The Chief of Police, or designee, may require the use of the BWC for certain
specific off-duty assignments.
B. Officers shall wear the BWC in one of the department-approved methods, utilizing only
the mounting options provided by the manufacturer. Officers should make every
reasonable effort to ensure the BWC remains in a position that allows the BWC to
record an encounter from the officer’s “point of view”.
C. Officers are responsible for the use and maintenance of the BWC. Equipment
malfunctions shall be brought to the attention of the officer’s supervisor as soon as
possible so a replacement unit may be procured and to ensure the availability of the
equipment for that officer. In the event the BWC equipment is malfunctioning, in any
way, the equipment will immediately be taken out of service and turned in to a
supervisor to facilitate repair. Officers shall not attempt to repair a BWC suspected of
malfunctioning. [CALEA 41.3.8e]
VIII. ACCESS
A. The Body Worn Camera (BWC) and all video files, images, sounds, and data recorded
by an RPD issued BWC are the property of the Richmond Police Department and shall
only be used for official business. Accessing, copying, or releasing files for non-law
enforcement purposes is strictly prohibited.
B. All files shall be securely transferred to Evidence.com no later than the end of each tour
of duty. Each file shall contain information related to the date, BWC identifier, and
assigned officer.
C. All requests for access to BWC data (images, sounds, and metadata) must be
specifically authorized by the Chief of Police or designee.
D. All access shall be audited by the BWC Coordinator monthly to ensure that only
authorized users are accessing the data for legitimate and authorized purposes.
E. The preferred technique for transferring recordings from the BWC to Evidence.com is
by using the officer’s assigned docking station. This technique is preferred as the
docking station will automatically upload all of the data recorded on the camera
directly to the Officer’s Evidence.com account.
F. The BWC system will be docked at least once per regular shift to allow all recorded
data to be uploaded to Evidence.com.
G. Officers involved in a use of force incident will not review the video of any incident
involving use of force prior to submitting all necessary use of force documentation,
and reports. Immediately after those reports are submitted, the officer will review the
video of the incident with their supervisor. If there are any discrepancies between the
officer’s report and the video, the supervisor will provide an explanation in the
supervisor’s investigation report.
1. As noted previously, BWC recordings are not a replacement for written reports to
document the Officer’s perspective of an incident/encounter. The BWC will not
capture everything; however, the BWC may capture images not initially
discernable or viewable by the human eye.
a) View any BWC recording unless the viewing is expressly for Department
approved purposes;
b) Copy, download, convert, disseminate, and or edit any BWC recording for
any type of personal use; or,
IX. RETENTION
4. All video files shall be securely stored on Evidence.com in accordance with the
records and retention schedules issued by the Library of Virginia. If a video is re-
classified to a different category (e.g. non-evidentiary to evidentiary) the video
will be subject to deletion based on the new category and the original date of the
recording.
5. The CAD number will be formatted as follows: ID example for the CAD#:
YYYYMMDD-####.
X. FORMS