Hillsboro PD Rolls Out Body Camera Initiative

HILLSBORO, OR — The Hillsboro Police Department this week announced the department-wide rollout of its body-worn camera initiative, which reportedly seeks to put a camera on the body of every patrol officer in the city.

While only the first groups of HPD sergeants and patrol officers have received their cameras at this time, the remaining patrol officers will be outfitted with cameras in the coming weeks, HPD officials said.

The body camera initiative is the department's good faith push toward "enhancing safety, building trust, and demonstrating transparency and accountability" within the community, which falls in accordance with the HPD community policing philosophy, officials said.

"Body-worn cameras are not a cure-all, but they are an effective tool in modern policing," HPD Chief Lee Dobrowolski said in a statement. "They document police contacts and aid in investigation, prosecution, and transparency. The Hillsboro Police Department has great community member support, and we believe body-worn cameras will only increase trust and enhance the relationship."

Dobrowolski spent the better part of the past two years meeting with individuals from throughout the community and educating himself on what works and what doesn't, with regard to officer body cameras.

"We held public forums, online surveys, and spoke individually with many community members," Dobrowolski said. "We worked hard to create a policy that best fits the values and culture of the city of Hillsboro."

After developing a body camera policy that works for HPD officers and the greater Hillsboro community, Dobrowolski used a $217,500 federal grant to purchase roughly 100 cameras and train the officers on how to use them.

"We understand privacy is a main concern of our community members. The community's concerns are our concerns," Dobrowolski said. "There are times when video will not be recorded, such as certain cases where children are involved."

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Dobrowolski offered the following list of examples for when the cameras would be expected to turn off, and what might be cause for the entire initiative to be abandoned:

Body-worn cameras will not be intentionally used in the following circumstances:

• In any location where individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as a restroom, fitness or locker room, or designed break room;
• When an officer would be recording a patient during a medical, health care provider or psychological evaluation by a clinician or similar health care professional, or during treatment;

When recording in hospitals or other health care facilities, officers shall be careful to avoid recording persons other than the suspect or witnesses that are deemed relevant to the matter being investigated by the officer;

• Communications made in a psychiatric facility, unless responding to a call involving a suspect who is thought to be present in the facility;
• Encounters with undercover officers or confidential informants; and/or
• When an officer is engaged in conversations with individuals with whom the officer is in a privileged relationship (e.g., spouse, legal counsel, police peer counselor).

This is a list of instances when recordings may be discontinued:

Members should remain sensitive to the dignity of all individuals being recorded and exercise sound discretion to respect privacy by discontinuing recording whenever it reasonably appears to the member that such privacy may outweigh any legitimate law enforcement interest in recording.

Examples and sensitive situations include, but are not limited to:

• A witness or victim who wishes to remain anonymous or refuses to provide a statement if recorded and the encounter is non-confrontational;
• Recordings that would jeopardize safety planning for victims;
• Recordings that would disclose private security measures of residences or businesses; and/or
• Recordings that would interfere with the ability to conduct an investigation due to sensitive circumstances (e.g., nudity, a victim of rape, child sex abuse, presence of child pornography, incest, or other form of sexual assault).

For more information on the city's body-worn camera initiative, including answers to frequently asked questions, visit Hillsboro-Oregon.gov/BodyCam.

Images via City of Hillsboro, Hillsboro Police Department