Washoe County Sheriff's Deputies will begin using body worn cameras this Monday, three weeks ahead of the July 1 start date required by state law.
“I believe that body worn cameras are an effective tool to provide an additional perspective of officer-citizen interactions and help maintain public trust,” Washoe County Sheriff Chuck Allen said. “I’ve been looking towards implementing a body worn camera program at the Sheriff’s Office since I was first elected Sheriff and would like to express my appreciation to the Nevada State Legislature and Washoe County Board of Commissioners for their effort to make this program a reality.”
Deputies say video and audio information from body worn cameras can be used as evidence in criminal and internal investigations, and enhance officer training. It is important to understand that body worn camera recordings provide a limited perspective of encounters and incidents. All other available evidence, such as witness statements, officer interviews, forensic analysis, and documentary evidence, must be included and reviewed before conclusions can be reached.
Deputies say approximately 150 uniformed Washoe County Sheriff’s Office sergeants and deputies are being issued body worn cameras including all Patrol Division deputies, as well as deputies with the Office’s District Court, Civil, K9, Motor, and Gang units. The body worn cameras will supplement patrol vehicle dash cameras which have been in use at the Sheriff’s Office since the late 1990s.
Sparks Police also says it will implement the Body Worn Camera program on June 11, 2018. Sparks Police has previously maintained a robust In-Car Camera System since August of 2014. The Sparks Police is utilizing this opportunity to use the Evidence.com feature of Axon, Inc. to combine all digital evidence into a single system. This will include all BWC footage, Detective interview room footage, photos and video collected by officers on scene. In the fall of 2018, the Sparks Police will add the newest release of Axon In-Car cameras to our overall camera and digital evidence program.
The Reno Police Department will also begin utilizing Body Worn Cameras on Monday.
During the 2017 Nevada Legislative session, Senate Bill 176 was passed into law, requiring uniformed peace officers be fitted with body worn cameras. Long before the law was passed, authorities say Reno Police Department staff started to research best practices related to the deployment of a BWC program. They say every officer in the Reno Police Department has been trained in the operation and policies surrounding the use of the BWC system.
All uniformed officers in the Patrol section, along with the Traffic Unit, K-9 Team, Downtown Walking Team, Downtown Bicycle Team, Community Action and Outreach Officers and the Regional Gang Unit will be outfitted with Body Worn Cameras.
(Washoe County Sheriff's Office, Sparks and Reno Police contributed to this report.)
