Police Body Cams Purchased In Johns Creek

JOHNS CREEK, GA — For the next five years, police officers in Johns Creek will be outfitted with body cams.

The Johns Creek City Council approved June 8 a contract with Axon Enterprise for the purchase of a body worn camera system bundled with an integrated system of an in-car camera system, interview room cameras and Taser 7 upgrade at a cost of $1,549,954.75 over a five-year term.

"The Body Worn Camera System will include a replacement and upgrade of our current Fleet recording system," Chief of Police Ed Densmore said. "The cameras will document incidents using video and audio, and will no longer be limited by proximity to the police vehicle. This documentation will allow us to provide transparency of actions, training opportunities, potential evidence, and policy review."

By replacing the city's current model Taser with Taser7 Model, the Body Worn Camera system can be configured to automatically activate and begin recording via numerous pre-configured triggers, Densmore said.

"In addition, any officer in the immediate area or those responding to the incident will have their Body Worn Cameras activated as well," he said. "In the event of an officer responding from another department equipped with an Axon Body Worn Camera, their equipment will also be activated. This will provide various recorded viewpoints of a particular incident. Recent studies have suggested that the use of Body Worn Cameras have been associated with a reduction in citizen complaints of officers as well as reduced use of force incidents during arrests."

Densmore said that currently, the Johns Creek Police Department obtains and stores video and audio recordings as well as Taser data from various platforms. The new system allows for the cameras to be activated when tasers are removed from the holsters

"Our current fleet camera system, equipped by L3 Industries, provides limited recordings of incidents that occur inside, or within close proximity of a police vehicle," Densmore told the council. "Our interview rooms are equipped with video and audio recording, using an L3 in-car camera system that was modified to provide documentation of interviews. Our current Taser Model X2 is provided by Axon Enterprises and allows the Taser data to be uploaded manually into Evidence.com. By selecting and implementing the Officer Safety Plan provided by Axon Enterprises, Inc., we will have the ability to integrate all three recording systems which will allow us to store all video, audio, and Taser records into a consolidated and secure database."

The system will additionally offer cost reductions in the city's current budget as well as providing a stable figure for future budget projections, Densmore said.

The department currently has funds allocated in its FY2019 budget that have not been spent to offset the $22,000 overage for the $400,000 that has been allocated for this project, he said. In addition, the department has allocated approximately $83,000 per year to support their current systems that would be allocated to this system.

Purchasing Manager Neil Trust said over the past three years, Senior Police Staff assessed technology, hardware and system configurations necessary to implement a successful Body Worn Camera (BWC) program. During this time, BWC technology and software capabilities were rapidly improving in reliability, durability and quality. Numerous controlled pilot trials and studies were conducted during this period and shared with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).

"Only recently have Staff felt the technology, hardware, and system integration currently on the market would best serve the department’s needs," Trust said. "Staff realizes the benefits of the utilization of body worn cameras proven from the extensive surveys and major city pilot programs. Perceived benefits include; increased transparency and legitimacy, improved citizen and police behavior, expedited resolution of complaints, improved evidence for arrest and prosecution, and the insurmountable, ongoing training opportunities BWC will provide within the department."

Densmore said the department does not have a body worn camera system currently, and they would implement the new system this fall.