Woodstock Police Body Camera Program Proceeding Smoothly

WOODSTOCK, GA — More than a year after introducing a body-worm camera program for its officers, the Woodstock Police Department noted the initiative seems to be going as planned.

Police Chief Calvin Moss provided an update to the City Council at its Dec. 10 meeting about the agency's program. In 2016, Woodstock was awarded a $60,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance Program.

After receiving the grant, the agency received the equipment necessary to outfit all patrol officers who respond to 911 calls, supervisors, special operations and detectives with a small camera displayed on the outer portion of their uniform. The cameras are used to capture audio and visual information acquired in the course of their official duties.

Chief Moss said the cameras and associated equipment seem to be functioning as it was designed to operate.

"We don’t seem to be having any issues whatsoever," he said Monday.

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Woodstock police also hosted a site visit last week from a representative of the Bureau, who went through various topics and benchmarks related to the program. Moss said the representative was "quite pleased" with how the Woodstock Police Department has integrated the new equipment into its day-to-day operations.

Moss also said the department requested and received an extension of the 2016 grant, which was set to expire on Dec. 31, 2018. The extension will allow the agency to use the funds necessary for the program.

Since the discussion of body-worn cameras appeared on the forefront of the minds of city leaders, the police department researched ways to fund the initiative. It also established a Body-Worn Camera Community Working Group to gather feedback and help guide the police department's implementation of the initiative. This group residents and stakeholders provided a diverse set of view points for the police department to consider.

On a related note, Moss told the Council that the Woodstock Police Department in November surpassed its one-year anniversary of achieving national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. As required by the designation, CALEA will soon conduct a remote annual review of the agency. Moss said the review does not require an on-site visit, but officials will conduct computer checks of WPD's databases to ensure it's in compliance with CALEA standards.

Image via city of Woodstock