Title
Inviting the public to comment on the Saint Paul Police Department’s draft body worn camera policy for its pilot program. (Public hearing continued from November 2)
Body
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Police Department is committed to increasing transparency and accountability and adopting best practices in the rapidly evolving field of law enforcement, including recommendations proposed in the Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing; and
WHEREAS, to implement body worn camera technology in a way that best serves the City, the Saint Paul Police Department is developing a pilot program to test the technology, department use, and proposed policies and procedures; and
WHEREAS the pilot program was an integral part of the City’s Request for Proposals issued in June 2016 to solicit vendor proposals for body worn camera systems for Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS, as described in the City’s Request for Proposals, the two highest evaluated body worn camera vendors have been invited to participate in a pilot program to test the products, and the Police Department’s capabilities, procedures, and policies; and
WHEREAS, the pilot program will test two different body worn camera systems in the Western District, for a test period of 30 days for each system, to determine how well the systems function in various conditions and circumstances, and evaluate associated requirements for equipment, information storage and management, information security, training, ease of use, responsiveness, and Police Department policies and procedures; and
WHEREAS, as directed in Minnesota Statutes section 626.8473, the Police Department is asking the public to comment on its draft policy for the pilot program at a regularly scheduled City Council meeting; now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the City Council hereby invites the public to comment on the Saint Paul Police Department’s draft body worn camera policy for its pilot project.