Following up on its 2011 endorsement of cameras in all county patrol vehicles, the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury is recommending law enforcement allow public access to recordings obtained during incidents or arrests.
In a report released June 1, the jury examined government code regarding citizens’ ability to view or listen to recordings captured by law enforcement during incidents. They found law enforcement can use discretion, and routinely do not allow citizens to access recordings involving themselves or their children. Citizens are also not generally informed they are being recorded.
As a result, the jury recommended all county law enforcement officers immediately inform citizens when an incident is being recorded, and to notify them of their ability to access recordings prior to pursuing a complaint or lawsuit, concluding the benefits of doing so are “considerable.”
“The time and money saved as a result of the citizenry knowing that the incident was recorded could be substantial, especially if a lawsuit is avoided by an early review of the incident,” the report states. “Parents/guardians could clearly benefit by knowing they could witness the incident through viewing the recording. Finally, the transparency that such access could bring to the process, especially at the beginning, could benefit all involved.”
In an “overwhelming number of cases,” the jury found, citizen complaints and lawsuits against police and sheriffs have either not been pursued or have been dropped upon learning the incident had been recorded.
The jury’s findings affect the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, and police departments in Santa Maria, Guadalupe and Lompoc. Each agency has 90 days to respond to the report.
Guadalupe and Santa Barbara police currently do not have cameras in their patrol cars; however, Santa Barbara is in the process of installing recording equipment. The city of Guadalupe has committed to the use of cameras once funding is available.
This article appears in Jun 14-21, 2012.