The Anne Arundel County Police Department is on schedule for the implementation of the body worn camera (BWC) program. Training for officers is anticipated to begin in July and continue through September of this year. The goals of the body-worn camera program are to:
- strengthen police accountability
- promote de-escalation
- enhance the ability to resolve officer-involved incidents and complaints
- improve transparency
- identify and correct internal agency issues
- strengthen officer performance and safety
- increase community safety
Update:
Over the past month the police department has taken partial delivery of the Axon Body 3 cameras. All cameras will need to be programmed and linked into our network which will store and maintain the data. Also, docking stations have been mounted and installed at all four patrol districts. The docking stations will charge the cameras and allow data to upload to the network. Additionally, our police vehicles have been installed with a relay switch that wirelessly connects the BWC to the emergency lights switch. When the emergency lights are activated on the police vehicle the relay switch will automatically activate the BWC, turning on the camera. The agency is continuing to hire additional staff to manage and maintain the body worn camera program.
The Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission has set guidelines for the development of agency BWC program policy, which apply to all Maryland police agencies that use BWC's. The Anne Arundel County Police Department will establish standard operating procedures related to the use and management of our body worn cameras.
The agency, in coordination with the Anne Arundel County Executive’s Office, will share information with the community through virtual outreach prior to implementation of the BWC program.
Although our officers are not yet outfitted with cameras, the agency is enthusiastically working toward our goal of beginning implementation of the program by mid summer.