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Two years after the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office got body cameras for its deputies — the devices look like smartphones but are functionally disabled so they can’t make calls — the newly sworn-in administration says it has found several issues that make the system difficult to use.
Among the issues they cite: microphones are the same as those on cell phones and are therefore affected by wind or environmental noise; Videos do not have enough memory to record more than seven hours without interruption; The videos take a long time to load or are impossible to load if a VP does not have good cell service; Once the videos are uploaded, it can take weeks for the company to process them, so agents can watch them again. And — unlike the system used by other local agencies — there’s no easy way to share the Sheriff’s Office’s long videos with the media or others.
Sheriff John Allen said in a recent interview, “In my opinion, the technology we have right now for body-worn cameras is garbage.”
He said he asked his staff to look at other options and see if the office could get out of the contract.
“If I’m stuck in a technology contract that I don’t like… I don’t even know why we have to discuss this and now we’re telling you all the problems with this camera system or the system.” Allen said. I wish we didn’t have to.
From Utility Inc. The 3.8 million dollar contract was signed by the county manager in 2018. It is due in November 2020 and will last for five years, although there are termination provisions. The BodyWorn equipment includes two cameras in each vehicle (one in the front and one in the back), Wi-Fi hotspots in the agents’ cruisers, uniforms to hold the equipment, and a case that can automatically activate. The cameras when the gun is drawn.
Former Sheriff Manuel Gonzalez, who championed the cameras as cutting-edge technology, did not respond to inquiries or questions. It has resisted body-worn cameras for years, but the department was forced to respond to a statewide law passed in 2020.
He is in a hurry to research
Allen raised the issue with body cameras in response to a recommendation by the Sheriff’s Office Advisory and Review Board that “similarly, when redacted/redacted video is released, BCSO must provide a thorough explanation of the reason for the redaction, and a statement of when/when the redacted/redacted material was, or is expected to be, It will be fully released.
Allen said he “absolutely” agrees with the recommendation, one of nine recommendations made in the board’s annual report, but as it stands, long videos always seem to be edited because the videos are cut at some point.
And BCSO spokesman Jaime Fuller said exporting videos to the media or other entities is a difficult process because, unlike the Albuquerque Police Department and the New Mexico State Police, there is no way to easily share them. Online portal.
“When they’re too long … they stay in the clouds,” said Undersheriff Johann Jareno. “We don’t even have it to download. So we have to wait for the company to host it and then it will give us access.
Allen said he spoke with the people responsible for selecting the cameras and said they should have done more research.
“I think the sheriff’s office is behind the force curve because they probably should have had body cameras two years ago,” Allen said. “Then the law came out and they were rushed and I think that pushed people into a corner to do things.”
Additional tips
Allen said meeting with the nine-member Sheriff’s Office Advisory and Review Board is a good way for the public to voice their opinions or questions, and that feedback will allow the office to assess its own strengths and weaknesses. By evolution.
“I think they’re a great way for people who have problems with the recruiting vehicle,[standard operating procedure]ideas — they have,” Allen said. “It’s our job to review them and see if they’re practical.”
Allen said he agreed with some of the board’s recommendations — such as taking pictures of training vehicles off the road — like sharing unedited video footage — in theory, but said it would be more difficult. Apply.
Other tips include:
• BCSO will now need to update the quarterly crime statistics posted on its website to a more timely and faster reporting schedule.
Allen said he has now removed all criminal information from the site and has people working on it. They said they hope to work until early February, but they will need more civilian workers to eventually provide complete information.
• In investigations of officer-involved shootings, the standard procedure for identifying the risk of the shooter’s agency being or appearing to be a conflict of interest is the “lead agency.” In agreements governing such investigations, the designation “lead agency” should be replaced with language that accurately describes the cooperative and joint investigative process that occurs, based on information provided by the BCSO.
Allen said he wants the state attorney general’s office or another outside entity to handle all officer-involved shootings to avoid any conflicts of interest. But for this to happen, the Legislature will have to provide financial support, he said.
In the meantime, Allen said, if a deputy-involved shooting is deemed controversial, he wants another agency to handle the investigation.
• A few changes to standard operating procedures, including the BCSO’s website, which allows the public to comment on the SOP.
Allen said he worries that comments on the site “may be lost” and instead thinks it would be best if the public went directly to the review board with their ideas.
• BCSO must attend all meetings of Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller’s Metro Crime Initiative every year and at least have direct participation by the sheriff as it enhances law enforcement efforts by all law enforcement agencies – local, county, state and federal. and public safety.
Allen said he plans to do that and has held other meetings with local law enforcement and community partners.
• BCSO should reconsider accreditation under the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies.
Allen said they didn’t think that was necessary because the BCSO Internal Review Board and the New Mexico Association of Counties were looking at standard operating procedures. BCSO is no longer a part of CALEA as of 2017 and has only two agencies in New Mexico – the Los Alamos Police Department and the Farmington Police Department.
• BCSO should stop participating in the reality television show “Patrol Live”. If he refuses to cease participation, BCSO shall terminate participation until provisions are made to allow any member of the public to opt out of being filmed by a TV camera and to give BCSO the right to pre-review all video. Participating in ~.
The Sheriff’s Office is taking a break from being on the show while the new administration settles in.
“We’ll see in April,” Allen said. “To be completely up front, ‘Do I really need to focus on this right now?’ It is something called We are trying to reorganize the department and focus on crime. I’m not saying it won’t come back… I don’t even want to deal with it right now.”
• BCSO has the right to enter into contracts without legal review by the Bernalillo County Attorney’s Office or any other attorney, but must use its discretion to do all but legal review the most common terms before they become effective.
“We’re still doing that,” Allen said.
• The recruiting truck at issue — featuring a Spartan helmet with a thin blue stripe flag and the slogan “Always choose the right one” — must be removed from public view immediately until all offensive images are removed. In the future, before using images on BCSO vehicles or property other than the standard logo and contact information, the office must carefully screen to ensure that they are not offensive, threatening or disrespectful to the community.
Allen said he’s taking the recruiting vehicle off the street until it can be repackaged, and BCSO is considering ideas for future vehicles, including putting deputy faces on them, getting community input or using designs from local artists.
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