Riverside County Sheriff Implements Body-Cam Policy

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff has formally put in place a policy on the use of body-worn cameras for deputies.

Assistant Sheriff Ray Gregory said the cameras have been approved for department-wide use under conditions worked out by the department and the deputies' union.

"The use of body-worn cameras has proven to be an effective tool for law enforcement that benefits both the public and law enforcement personnel," the assistant sheriff said.

The policy provides guidance on the use of cameras issued by the department and video devices some deputies have been carrying in the field for years.

"This cooperative effort resulted in a final product that provides the proper balance of discretion, accountability, safety, transparency and privacy, while reasonably protecting employee rights and preserving as evidence the critical viewpoint of (deputies)," Gregory said.

In March 2015, Sniff initiated a program to test the effectiveness of body-worn cameras, deploying the shirt-mounted devices with deputies in Jurupa Valley. He said body cams had been in use by personnel for some time, but not under a uniform policy.

The Riverside Sheriffs' Association initially challenged the field testing but later backed off.

The sheriff's department acquired 165 body cams from Seattle-based Vie Vu in November 2014 for $184,000.