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2015-2016 San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury 5 <br />advantages and disadvantages. Police command staff, elected officials and city administrators, as <br />well as concerned and informed citizens must determine which of today's technologies and those <br />in development are appropriate to ensure their community's safety and security. Equally <br />important is the concern for the civil rights and privacy of citizens and police officers. <br />DISCUSSION <br />Body-worn cameras are in limited use today among the County's 15 independent city/town <br />police departments, the Broadmoor Police Protection District, and the Sheriff's Office (whose <br />jurisdiction includes unincorporated areas of the County and the communities of Half Moon Bay, <br />Millbrae, Portola Valley, San Carlos, and Woodside). <br />The Grand Jury found that five local police departments are currently using body-worn cameras. <br />They are: <br />• Atherton PD deployed in 2006 <br />• Belmont PD deployed in 2014 <br />• Foster City PD deployed in 2012 <br />• Hillsborough PD deployed in 2014 <br />• Menlo Park PD deployed in 2013 <br /> <br />The Grand Jury interviewed representatives from five of the remaining 11 police departments. <br />All five indicated varying levels of interest in adopting body-worn cameras but have decided to <br />wait. These departments are: <br />• Daly City PD <br />• East Palo Alto PD <br />• Redwood City PD <br />• San Mateo PD <br />• South San Francisco PD <br /> <br />The Grand Jury interviewed representatives from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, which <br />has also considered use of body-worn cameras and has decided to wait. <br /> <br />The police departments using body-worn cameras describe their experience of deploying, <br />maintaining, and managing body-worn cameras as ranging from “positive” to “extremely <br />positive.” Training for the use of these systems generally takes less than two hours. Department <br />representatives also reported that the most difficult task involved in implementing a body-worn <br />camera system is deciding which of the many available systems is the best fit for the agency’s <br />needs and budget. With a large and growing number of manufacturers, there is a wide variety of <br />features and options available on individual cameras and systems including: <br />• Camera mounting options <br />• Selectable camera resolution <br />• Expanded field-of-view capability <br />• Zoom capability <br />• Enhanced low-light capabilities <br />• Improved image stabilization <br />6.1.J. - Page 10