Deputies approve body-worn cameras for Riverside County

The plan to use body cameras on deputies in Riverside County is moving forward after the testing period at the Jurupa Valley Station has ended.

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved funds to buy the cameras in 2014.

Sheriff Stan Sniff said the department was prepared to continue testing for another 60 to 90 days, if required, but input from the Jurupa Valley Station indicates they have learned what they needed to know.

Officials recommended deputies transition from voluntary testing of these devices to mandatory department-wide use.

According to the sheriff’s release, the testing phase has validated that body-worn cameras have positively altered potential confrontations between deputies and the public, often gaining voluntary compliance by the public.

Formal personnel complaints against deputies at the Jurupa Valley Station during the testing period declined by 30%, Sheriff Sniff said.

Now, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department will ask county supervisors for funding in fiscal year 2015-2016 and will also apply for the “2015 Body-Worn Camera Pilot Implementation Program” grant through the U.S. Department of Justice.

Sheriff Sniff said the funding would be used for a phased acquisition, training, and fielding plan of BWCs (body-worn cameras), initially throughout its patrol operations, and ultimately across its other specialized jail and court areas after preliminary testing and needed guidance from judicial officers has been completed.

Riverside County will be working with labor groups on the decision.

The Riverside Sheriff’s Association filed a lawsuit in January against the use of the cameras, but that case still hasn’t been settled.