Cop camera program to expand

Three divisions of San Diego police should be wearing body-mounted cameras to record enforcement contacts by the end of June.

Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said Wednesday an ongoing field test with 10 officers wearing the cameras is going well despite a few technical challenges in uploading the video and audio when their shifts end.

The department is testing two versions of the camera, one mounted on the chest and one on the shoulder.

Recordings can serve as critical pieces of evidence and help reject or confirm accusations of misconduct by officers. The program stems in part from accusations regarding conduct by several officers over the last few years.

The chief said a specific policy for when the cameras are rolling is still being developed.

“The key is the policy for all of the situations, and we will be talking with the Police Officers Association and other groups,” she told the City Council’s Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee. “We’re looking for the best practices out there.”

The City Council earlier this year approved spending $1 million to get camera program going. That money will fund three divisions — Central, Southeastern and Mid-City, Zimmerman said. The remaining six divisions should have them by the end of 2015 if sufficient funding is available, she said.

The cameras are in a somewhat dormant mode until an officer flips a switch to record a contact. At that point, it preserves the 30 seconds prior to the switch being turned on.

Situations where the cameras won’t be taping include interviews of sex crime victims, child abuse victims, or confidential informants.

Committee Chairwoman Marti Emerald praised Zimmerman for moving swiftly.

“This puts everybody on the same playing field and makes sure we have some accountability on both sides of the camera,” she said.

Zimmerman is conducting two public town halls next week, one Monday at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation,404 Euclid Avenue; and the other Wednesday at Cherokee Point Elementary School at 3735 38th St. Both events begin at 6 p.m.