Police Will Wear Body Cameras In Mount Vernon

MOUNT VERNON, VA—Police departments across the nation are trying out body cameras to track how officers interact with civilians. In a few months, Fairfax County will be joining the movement with the launch of a pilot program. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the program Tuesday.

A start date hasn't been finalized, but the program is expected to launch sometime in March. The Mount Vernon and Mason Police Districts will be the first to test it out for three months, and it could later be extended to six months.

All uniformed patrol officers will wear the cameras on the outside of the uniform. Officers will begin recording when arriving on scene of a call and leave it on for the whole incident. Residents should be aware they can be lawfully recorded in public places.

Police can record in private places only when they have the authority to be there. Residents have the right to decline being recorded in private areas except in cases of in-progress criminal investigations, arrests, or searches of the location. Officers will not record in courthouses and medical facilities, as well as residents reporting crimes anonymously or giving statements about alleged rapes or sexual assaults.

Throughout the pilot program, law professor Richard R. Bennett of American University will evaluate use of force statistics, the number of community member complaints, changes in policing activities and the community members’ assessment of police legitimacy. He will study statistics and civilian feedback over 270 days—before, during and after the program.

Axon, a company that produces law enforcement products, has offered 230 free body cameras to police. The county is responsible for a startup cost of about $684,151. If the country extends the program, it would have to pay recurring data storage costs starting in 2021.

See a map of the Mount Vernon Police District here.

Image via Fairfax County Police