LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is set to roll out body-worn cameras for its deputies at the end of the third quarter this year, according to a report released Tuesday by the Office of Inspector General. [View the report here.]
“LASD has lagged far behind other major police agencies in the incorporation of video technology as a means for police supervision and public accountability,” the report by Inspector General Max Huntsman states. “This step forward, slow as it is, is historic.”
In comments during a Monday town hall with Palmdale and Lancaster residents, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Lancaster would be in the first group of five stations to get the new technology.
The sheriff blamed his predecessors and the Board of Supervisors for the delay, and said body cameras have been his priority since day one.
“The previous administration had five years … of wasted time, wasted opportunities and four different plans, four different studies and nothing ever came to fruition,” Villanueva said. “Within that first week, we had a plan … it was delivered to the board in December of 2018, and this is where the wheels fall off the wagon.”
Yet another study was requested, Villanueva said, accusing the board of intentionally dragging its feet to prohibit him from getting a “win.” The board and the sheriff have wrangled in court and elsewhere over a host of issues, including rehiring deputies terminated for misconduct and failing to turn over documents requested by the OIG.
The supervisors generally insist that they are seeking cooperation, though their exasperation is sometimes evident, while the sheriff seems to believe they have a vendetta against him.
In the case of body-worn cameras, the policy debates predated Villanueva, who was sworn in on Dec. 3, 2018.
A pilot program for the Sheriff’s Department was launched in 2014, but plans for a broader roll-out seemed to stall under the weight of questions about when and how to release recordings to deputies and the public, as well as how to pay for storing and managing extensive amounts of data.
The value of video footage couldn’t be clearer at a time when protesters nationwide have been enraged into action by the images of George Floyd, a 45-year-old man fighting to breathe while held down by the knee of a Minneapolis police officer now charged with murder.
In Los Angeles County, money has also been an issue, with former sheriff Jim McDonnell asking for $55 million in funding and 239 new personnel to run the system. The board chose to focus first on installing fixed cameras in county jails to counter use-of-force against inmates.
The plan ultimately agreed upon by Villanueva and the board in September 2019 carried a cost of roughly $35 million and called for 33 new employees. At that time, county Chief Executive Officer Sachi Hamai said it would take about 19 months to roll out the devices to more than 5,200 deputies and security officers operating out of 58 patrol stations and sub-stations, 84 county facilities and nine community colleges, with full roll-out expected in the first half of 2022.
The contract with the vendor providing the cameras and related services is still being negotiated, according to the OIG.
The unions have since ratified a bodycam policy — which the department has not yet publicly released — but the OIG and COC have recommended changes. Citing the sheriff’s failure to respond to two subpoenas issued by the COC, the OIG underlined concerns about how the program would be implemented.
“Aggressive resistance to public oversight and review of department conduct suggests policy-based concerns regarding the body-worn camera program are warranted,” the OIG report stated.
The LASD policy “largely mirrors” that of the Los Angeles Police Department, according to Huntsman. However, where it diverges, it favors deputies, he said.
“There are concerns that the policy grants supervisors and deputies too much discretion in deciding when to turn on or off a body-worn camera and that there is no real accountability for a deputy failing to activate the body- worn camera,” according to the OIG report.
Routine audits to identify misconduct are prohibited by the policy. It also allows deputies to review video footage before writing reports, according to the OIG, who added that this raises “grave concerns” by the public defender and alternate public defender about deputies fabricating details about what happened.
Despite misgivings, Huntsman strongly recommended moving forward.
“Implementing body-worn cameras is an immediate necessity,” the report concludes.
Along with Lancaster, the Century, Lakewood, Industry and West Hollywood stations are slated to be the first locations where patrol deputies will be outfitted with cameras.
–
LASDRet says
As a 10 year vet of the LASD (since retired), the cost of the cameras are minimal- the cost of the storage is extremely pricey and employees needed to handle the whole infrastructure is expensive. Thank god I’m gone as cameras are useful for training and accountability for avoiding false accusations and weeding out bad seeds. However, we are all human, the public can use fowl language and when we speak like them or deal with gangsters, we speak different than when dealing with your grandmother. Written write ups for nonsense such as fowl language and minor woke feel good policy violations will only increase crime as deputies stay parked and doing the bare minimum at their calls for service. After my first write up for a public complaint of how I spoke to 3 gangsters for steeling 1,000 in alcohol from Vons, I stopped working, parked in the parking lot on my IPAD played games and watched TV, went to my calls and helped nice people and did the bare minimum on the rest. Respect the police and they will respect you- some of my partners were total piles of crap but for the most part deputies are good people just like the rest of us.
Think says
“Some of my partners were total piles of crap” – Says the POS who parked and played IPad games and watched TV on duty.
Alby says
Any job has a tv or some form of entertaintment like an ipad. There are such things as slow days for anyone at any job. I personally dont care how police talk to me for I too am an occasional loose foul mouth… With a level of censorship around youth and certain respectable people. I just dont agree with issues like arresting me for defending myself and making verbal threats against hot headed tweakers trying to assault me and destroy my belongings on my property. If cameras were around, I would have been totally justified. Instead it was a game of he said/she said and these Lancaster cop [removed] bought into their bullshet. Them three gangsters and their christian school teacher mammas probably filed the complaints toward LASDRet just like other manipulative tweaker assholes got me busted. I want to puke at the thought of a punk thinking that he earned a free pass at his crime just because a cop or non-authoritative figure used “foul language” at him when he got busted. Its difficult to keep track of every damn thing on camera as people have lives and daily endeavors but nowadays it seems that everybody needs a body camera or house surveillance just to be justified in this town full of crap heads.
Dave Gray says
I’m a retired, 29 year law enforcement veteran who began my journey toward an eventual career as a LEO in the mid 70s as a sheriff’s explorer at SCV station when I was in high school. I have always been a proponent of law enforcement agencies mandating body cameras as a useful tool to protect both the public and the officer from false allegations. I also think that just by having one on the person and knowing it can be reviewed by supervisors can be one factor in improving a person’s performance and demeanor when in contact with the public. It is disconcerting for me to read that on receiving your very first write up, instead of looking at it in a positive light and using the experience to improve, you instead “stopped working, parked in the parking lot” and played games on your I-pad and watched TV. It leaves me to wonder how many crimes occurred in your area while you were otherwise entertaining yourself just because you were upset at getting written up as a result of a complaint. It’s nice that you can admit to this behavior now, but it would have been so much better to realize and admit to your deficiencies when you were still on the streets, and improved on what your supervisor was attempting to correct.
Stinger says
Although it will be most helpful in weeding out the true problems from the false claims, it will make little difference to those whose minds are already made up. For example, I give you: Atlanta.
Ron says
Good. It will show some people will fight the cops no matter what . Its simple. Learn to behave , dont break laws, dont run , dont fight them, always Comply. Pull up your pants and learn to behave and learn to listen. It not that hard.
Manny says
Many of the deputies already opt to buy n use their own cameras already and they have been doing so for years. The dept is behind because the cost is so high due to the amount of personnel. Given the atmosphere, any cop who doesn’t wear one is foolish.
Wearing a camera will make no difference and the public will still scrutinize and dispute all of the actions and inactions so nothing will change.
There is no longer any personal responsibility nor accountability in American society ( in regard to the public).
Body Cam says
Needed now more than ever…
I like the AV says
Bout freaking time, i dont understand how LASD, one of the nations largest police organizations doesn’t have their officers wear body cameras. hopefully transparency is achieved via this new implementation.