The Brea Police Department is the latest law enforcement agency in Orange County to equip its sworn personnel with body-worn cameras.
The City Council this week approved a $993,000, five-year contract with the manufacturers of the WatchGuard in-car cameras and body-worn cameras along and a digital evidence management system that will be used to store the recordings.
The funding for the cameras, which includes installation, equipment, warranties, cloud-based storage for five years and money to replace the devices in five years, was approved by the council in February.
Police Chief Adam Hawley told the council that he expects the cameras to be rolled out before fall, after they are purchased, installed and officers are trained.
“I couldn’t be more pleased,” Hawley said. “I think it is going to be something that is going to enhance our service and provide us with new opportunities to demonstrate our efficiencies and develop even more trust with our community and provide a valuable tool for our investigators and officers as they prepare to go to court.”
Council members were told defense lawyers and prosecutors expect the police to provide video evidence in virtually every case.
State law also requires the release of body-worn video footage within 45 days after officer-involved shootings, unless doing so would interfere with an ongoing investigation.
Brea becomes the 17th law enforcement agency in Orange County to employ body-worn camera systems, officials said.
Along with Brea, three additional agencies are in the process of implementing the camera systems.
Brea has been using digital audio recorders since 1973 to record interactions with the public. In 2010, Brea PD started using an in-car video recording system mounted on the windshield.
In 2014, the Fullerton and Anaheim police departments became the first agencies in Orange County to equip their officers with body-worn cameras.
Brea PD considered implementing body-worn cameras in 2016, but the high cost was an issue.
