Body Cameras Coming For Union All County Cops

Union County is poised to become the first county in New Jersey patrolled by local law enforcement all outfitted with body-worn cameras, according to acting Union County Prosecutor Michael A. Monahan.

“I am confident there will come a time when body-worn cameras are as commonplace as any other item in a police officer’s toolkit,” Monahan said. “But for now, we can be satisfied in the knowledge that Union County, on the issue of body-worn cameras, is at the vanguard among law enforcement in New Jersey, progressively ahead of the curve and leading the way. And for that, I thank our chiefs for their commitment to delivering transparency, accountability, and professionalism to the public.”

Springfield Police Chief and President of the Union County Police Chiefs Association John Cook noted the upgrade from the current dash cams used in patrol cars.

“Vehicle video systems have been available for law enforcement for decades, but body-worn cameras are a vast improvement because they allow you to see incidents unfold from the officers’ actual point of view. They have become a valued tool in daily use not only for officers’ protection, but the protection of the citizenry as well,” Cook said. “The body-worn camera gives a true account of events, and may even reveal evidence that was not initially seen.”

The Prosecutor’s Office distributed approximately $181,000 of its forfeiture funds to six municipal police departments in 2018 to cover significant shares of their first-year startup costs for their body-worn cameras, ancillary equipment, and file storage. All of those departments are currently in various active stages of body-worn camera deployment, a process anticipated to be completed early in 2019.

Pilot Program

One of those departments piloting the cameras is Westfield. The Westfield Police Department started a trial and training period of body worn cameras Dec. 18 where three officers will be selected during the day shift and three officers during the night shift to wear the body worn cameras.

Westfield Chief of Police Christopher Battiloro said the plan is to conclude the trial period in February 2019 and implement the roll out for all uniformed officers afterwards.

"I believe they are essential to accountability and transparency,” Battiloro said.

The move to equip all departments with body cameras comes a little more than three years after the Prosecutor’s Office launched what to that point was New Jersey’s largest county-funded, multi-municipality body-worn camera pilot program of its kind, with nine departments signing up for the initial rollout in late 2015.

The remaining departments in Union County independently implemented body-worn cameras at various points during the next several years.

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office awarded 15 police departments in Union County a total of $376,500 to purchase body-worn cameras as part of past funding programs that offered over $3 million to police agencies across the state to acquire the devices.

“I share a firm commitment with law enforcement across New Jersey to fostering stronger police-community relations through increased transparency and accountability,” said Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. “Body-worn cameras are an important tool for promoting confidence in our police officers by holding them accountable, while also protecting them from unfounded complaints and helping them gather evidence. I applaud Prosecutor Monahan and leaders throughout Union County for recognizing that these devices make officers more effective and enhance the safety of the public and police alike.”

The first directive issued by Grewal after taking office established a policy that made body- and dash-camera videos of police deadly force incidents subject to public release, following a formal request, once the initial investigation of the incident is substantially complete, typically within 20 days of the incident.

How They're Used

The body-worn cameras used by patrol officers throughout Union County are activated at the start of calls for service – officer safety permitting – and during any on-duty encounter with a civilian, with several exceptions for certain situations and in sensitive venues such as schools or houses of worship. Circumstances in which the cameras are in use include traffic stops, vehicle searches, arrests, and more.

During the course of each workday, officers also “tag” their videos electronically, filing them into different categories, and this can be accomplished using a variety of devices, from smart phones to laptops. Once each officer returns to police headquarters following a shift, he or she removes their camera and places it in a docking station; at that point the footage is uploaded to cloud storage or local servers while the device also recharges automatically.

Union County Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados said part of moving Union County forward was a focus on public safety.

“Prosecutor Monahan and our police chiefs working together to achieve full, countywide implementation of body-worn cameras is something that will make public life safer not only for our brave men and women in law enforcement, but also the many citizens they interact with every day,” Granados said. “And furthermore, it marks another step toward ensuring that transparency and accountability in Union County are more than just words, but ideals, backed up by action.”

Monahan, who earlier this year launched an initiative to ensure full countywide implementation, thanked all of the municipal elected officials who approved funding for future body-worn camera costs, as well as all of the local chiefs.

The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General in July 2015 issued a 24-page directive governing the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement statewide; it can be viewed in its entirety online here.

(Photo caption: Law enforcement leaders from across Union County gathered at the Andrew K. Ruotolo Justice Center in Elizabeth on Thursday to mark the full countywide implementation of body-worn cameras. Back row, from left, Plainfield Police Director Carl Riley, Springfield Police Chief John Cook, Roselle Police Chief Brian Barnes, Hillside Police Chief Vincent Ricciardi, Mountainside Police Officer-in-Charge Joseph Giannuzzi, Winfield Police Chief Walter Berg, Union County Sheriff Peter Corvelli, Kenilworth Police Chief John Zimmerman, Berkeley Heights Police Chief John DiPasquale, Scotch Plains Police Chief Theodore Conley, Kean University Police Director Mark Farsi. Front row, from left, Garwood Police Chief James Wright, Roselle Park Police Lt. David Pitts, Linden Police Chief David Hart, Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro, Elizabeth Police Chief John Brennan, acting Union County Prosecutor Michael A. Monahan, Rahway Police Chief John Rodger, Union County Police Chief Chris Debbie, Fanwood Police Chief Richard Trigo, Clark Police Chief Pedro Matos, Union County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of Detectives Vincent G. Gagliardi. Photo courtesy of the Union County Prosecutor's Office)

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