Hermosa Beach Police Department uses body cameras

Bari Cohn

Staff Writer

The Hermosa Beach Police Department discussed body-worn cameras and the application for a $250,000 federal grant to supply officers with these cameras during the April 12 Hermosa Beach City Council meeting.

Body-worn cameras in Hermosa Beach first became a topic of discussion in August of 2015 when the Hermosa Beach City Council discussed how implementing the cameras may help increase the safety of both the officers and civilians by having video documentation of conflicts. The City Council created a proposal for the body camera implementation that called for all officers to attach these cameras to their uniforms, unless they are on a plain-clothes assignment when they are not in full uniform.

“The body cameras are a neutral, unbiased second pair of eyes; you can’t fake it,” Hermosa Beach Police Department Sergeant Kevin Averill said. “Overall, I think the community would be better served if the officers had body cameras.”

HBPD has already been supplied with audio recorders and dash board cameras to provide the officers with a method of surveillance. According to Averill, most communication is nonverbal, and the  addition of body-worn cameras will allow officers to pick up nonverbal communication that the recorders and dash board cameras couldn’t, as well as allowing people to look at the officer’s point of view due to the camera being strapped to their fronts, Averill said.

“The main reason driving the push for body cameras has been that they provide the best evidence out there,” Averill said. “Plus, in this current day, officers’ actions are seemingly more questioned than the criminals’ actions.”

The method of using body-worn cameras is already being used in Redondo Beach, where members of the city council unanimously voted in favor of purchasing 30 body-worn cameras in January of 2015. Additionally, the Los Angeles Police Department began supplying each of its officers with body-worn cameras in September of 2015.

“It does help that other police departments have implemented the use of cameras, and we now are able to see how seamless it can be,” Averill said.

The HBPD would use the cameras for a year to ensure they meet the department’s needs and to evaluate the effect of the cameras on the safety of the officers and citizens.  All of the footage would be kept for at least one year in case it is needed to provide evidence within the time frame and then, after that, the videos would no longer be stored.

“We are still deciding if the cameras will be officer descretion or if we are gonna be able to turn them off when we go into people’s homes. If they want you to turn it off, are we gonna be able to turn [the cameras] off?” Police Chief Sharon Papa said. “We are going to get some recommendations and research other departments and agencies and see what their policies are.”

HBPD is hoping to receive the United States Department of Justice’s grant in order to supply each officer with a camera to wear. According to the grant application, if the HBPD’s application is approved, it must pay a 50% match. However, it is still being decided if the cameras will be on their uniforms or in their patrol cars at all times.

MBPD has encouraged citizens to take surveys through University of California Fullerton to voice their opinions on  how effective the cameras will be for the police force.

“I took the survey and thought it was incredibly helpful and could be tremendously insightful,” Hermosa Beach City Council member Jeff Duclos said. “I am hoping more and more people get a chance to take it.”

According to Hermosa Beach Police Captain Milton McKinnon, 54% of citizens believed that the police patrol in the Hermosa Beach downtown plaza needs to be increased, and 87% strongly supported the use of body-worn cameras because they believe it would decrease disputes between citizens and police and increase the amount of evidence regarding a crime that could be presented during court cases if necessary.

“Since there is a budget for this, even if we receive a grant fund, it is important that we discuss the costs and benefits for the city,” Hermosa Beach Councilman Justin Massey said. “The system of body-worn cameras will make us more efficient.”

HBPD is currently in the research stage of the process and will not know if they received the grant for the cameras until the USDJ releases the approval of the grant request in June. As of now, they have identified the manufacturer Axon Cameras as a potential supplier for all of the necessary materials but have made no specific plans about how the cameras will operate once implemented.

“The cameras are still going through their studies, and then it’s a matter of when we can get the funding for them,” Averill said. “My preference is as soon as possible, so we can see what goes on during situations as opposed to only being able to hear the audio.”