LITTLETON — Chief Matthew Pinard reports that the Littleton Police Department will begin deploying body-worn cameras on all officers starting on Monday, May 20.
Funding for the body-worn cameras comes from a the Healy-Driscoll Administration’s $3.6 million Fiscal Year 2024 Body-Worn Cameras Grant Program, which awarded Littleton Police $150,047 to launch its program.
All 23 members of the department, including the Chief and Deputy Chief, have been outfitted with body-worn cameras, which are embedded in their uniform to prevent them from detaching, and have received training from Motorola on how the devices operate and function.
Officers are now required by department policy to wear a body-worn camera at all times during their shift. Policy dictates that they activate the camera during all interactions with the public that are a result of a call for service, or any investigative or enforcement activity. Officers will keep in consideration the expectation of privacy when activating the body-worn camera in certain areas, such as private residences or hospitals.
Prior to the launch of the program, the department completed research into policy and best practices, vetted vendors, negotiated with the police union, worked with the selected vendor to tailor the system for the department’s needs, and developed formal policies for camera use and data storage.
“I want to thank the administration for the generous grant funding which enabled us to launch this program without burdening the taxpayers of Littleton,” said Chief Pinard. “We are excited to roll out this new program and to increase our level of transparency as we serve the Littleton community.”
President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing placed a priority on body camera research and camera programs. The Task Force’s final report indicated that officers wearing body cameras had “87.5 percent fewer incidents of use of force and 59 percent fewer complaints than the officers not wearing the cameras.”