Arlington Police May Have Body-Worn Cameras By January

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington public safety personnel may be outfitted with body-worn cameras as soon as January 2021 thanks to funding included in County Manager Mark Schwartz proposed one-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

Schwartz submitted his proposal to the Arlington County Board on Tuesday. The $1.05 million in funding would begin the implementation process for the county's police department, sheriff's office, and fire marshals.

“My decision to propose the program now is prompted by the recent events in our country. As I have stated many times, I am proud of our police department and its long tradition of professionalism,” Schwartz said, in a release. “The public’s perception of our officers has been highlighted in each of the resident satisfaction surveys of the past 10 years. We want to reinforce those positive public perceptions and to ensure actions, especially those involving use of force, are transparent. The time has come for body-worn cameras in Arlington.”

The proposed FY 2021 CIP contains $268,000 for the body-worn camera hardware, $244,000 to pay for upgrades that would allow your county courtrooms to support the technology, and $536,000 for software, data storage, and maintenance. Schwartz also proposed $755,000 to replace the existing in-car camera system for one that would work with the body-worn cameras.

“My decision to propose the program now is prompted by the recent events in our country. As I have stated many times, I am proud of our police department and its long tradition of professionalism,” Schwartz said. “The public’s perception of our officers has been highlighted in each of the resident satisfaction surveys of the past 10 years. We want to reinforce those positive public perceptions and to ensure actions, especially those involving use of force, are transparent. The time has come for body-worn cameras in Arlington.”

The Arlington County Board will vote on the CIP funding in July. If the funding is approved, then the body-worn camera program would be implemented in January.

In 2015, both the Arlington County Police Department and the Sheriff's office conduced a pilot program for body-worn cameras. Since then, ACPD has asked for the program to be adopted in order to complement its in-car camera system, but budget challenges prevented the program from being proposed.

Schwartz proposed a one-year $277.5 million CIP rather than the traditional 10-year plan to allow the county more time to weigh the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. He also focused on funding projects currently underway, those that addressed failing or end-of-life infrastructure, and ones required by legal or regulatory obligations.

Schwartz's proposal also anticipates the $91.895-million bond referendum for critical needs, which Arlington voters will consider Nov. 3 on Election Day.

The County Board and School Board will host a joint work session on June 23, with the County Board considering the schools' CIP as part of its CIP adoption in July.