The San Mateo Police Department recently provided body cameras for police on-duty use. While issues of privacy are prevalent in the discussion of its usage, this system, implemented early this month, seeks to increase transparency and documentation for its citizens.
SMPD sergeant Amanda Von Glahn explains the program’s beginning and reasons behind it.
“Ever since the technology was introduced generally to public, we have always had an internal discussion as the police department if we were going to utilize that technology to assist our officers,” she said. “There was also a study done that the county recommended that all agencies within the county adopt some type of body-worn camera program.”
Body cameras provide several benefits within the department regarding the reliability of police officers.
“[Police body cameras help with] clear documentation of what our officers were doing in the field, as far as referring back to incidents and recalling situations,” said Foster City Lieutenant Cory Call. “Once in a while, the citizens come in with concerns or complaints, and it provides us with the ability to go back and take a look and listen to what occurred in certain situations.”
Junior Ethan Wong acknowledges other advantages.
“It also serves for training. If other officers can see you, what good policing looks like and what bad policing looks like and what not to do,” he said. “[A camera] gives a sense of assurance for the people that policemen hold a lot of authority and now, you have this sense of accountability that police officer have. It also keeps police officers in check, too.”
Cameras also aid officers in dealing with difficult subjects.
“It’s been incredibly helpful to our officers to gain compliance from a difficult subject they are speaking with,” Von Glahn said. “When officers indicate they are recording on the camera, they seem to get more compliance from people that [are] being recording instead of push back.”
Although Von Glahn supports body cameras, she notes potential limitations.
“Keeping in mind that it’s incredibly helpful, it doesn’t capture everything,” she said. “Although it’s definitely a great tool and it will enhance a lot of aspects of the job, it’s just one tool of our many tools.”
However, despite the potential advantages, some privacy concerns arise, but sophomore Andres Zimmermann proposes that people should not be worried about such ideas.
“In public spaces, for better or not, a person really does not have any strong right to privacy. Plus, there are already cameras around,” he said. “Would I prefer there to be less cameras? Sure, but do I feel that I have any less privacy because the police have [cameras] on them? No.”
In response to privacy concerns, the police department has implemented a system civilian privacy.
“Police officers sometimes get involved in very sensitive and personal situations that some people may not want to be recorded,” Call said, “so there are some situations that we might not choose to record or it might go along with somebody’s request to not record.”
These new cameras bear similarities with the previously-installed system in Foster City. The Foster City Police Department outlines a strict policy regarding its usage.
“We have a core section in the policy that states that if there’s a video that somebody wants to watch or believe there is value in another officer watching for training purposes,” Call said, “then it goes through members of the management team of the police department and the authorized before they are able to watch these videos.”
To ensure reliability of their work, officers are trained on the policy and the functionality of the camera.
“[We prepare officers on] digital training on the computer as well as physical training with the device itself,” Von Glahn said.
Technology’s prevalence in society has resulted in the police department’s integration of it.
“We want to stay up with the digital age because criminals are,” Von Glahn said. “We see it as a benefit to our officers, to the public and to our district attorney office.”
For the future of the community, Wong visualizes a more trusting relationship between the police and civilians.
“I think that it will help the relationship between the police and civilians, especially in the areas where they are not portrayed in the best light,” he said. “It will make the police think a little more about their actions and the cameras will show the great things our public safety officers do for our community, and that they are here to protect us.”
