Loudoun County Upgrades Body Worn Cameras For Deputies

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has 74 body worn cameras distributed to patrol deputies and in-car cameras installed in all 314 patrol vehicles within the sheriff office's operations division, the sheriff's office said Tuesday.

Footage from the body worn cameras is stored on a network managed by Loudoun County's Department of Information Technology. Video footage from the body worn cameras is easily accessible by storing it on the network, the sheriff's office said.

Loudoun County corrections deputies also have 66 body worn cameras that are available for use. The addition of the cameras in the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center is part of a pilot study of their usage in a corrections setting.

The study is being conducted by the CNA Center for Justice Research and Innovation and the National Sheriffs’ Association and will examine how the implementation of body camera technology affects a range of outcomes, including deputy safety, prevalence of serious events, cost savings, and inmate violence and misconduct.

Body worn cameras are currently activated during law enforcement-public encounters related to a call for service or law enforcement action, subject stop, traffic stop, and/or deputy services. The in-car cameras are automatically activated when emergency equipment — lights and sirens — are turned on.

The LCSO initiated a body worn camera pilot program in 2015 when it deployed 46 cameras as part of a grant program. Those original cameras have been updated and improved for field use.

The new and updated cameras in the sheriff's office provide automatic activation when a vehicle’s emergency equipment is activated. The new system will turn on both the body worn and in-car cameras when either is in range and activated, the sheriff's office said.