Per Frederick County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) in a release on 2/28:

“After a 12-month trial period, Frederick County Sheriff’s Office deputies will start wearing body cameras as part of their duty uniform effective today. In 2021, Maryland legislature mandated that all Maryland police officers are to wear body-worn cameras by 2025.

“We will use Axon body cameras for our deputies and will be phasing them in to the more than 180 sworn officers within the next 60 days,” said FCSO Sergeant Richard Balsley, Body Camera coordinator. “Our goal is to have everyone wearing and using these by no later than April 1.”

FCSO sworn personnel includes six different patrol teams (majority of sworn assigned), personnel assigned to the Criminal Investigations Section, the Frederick County Courthouse, and other positions such as the Community Deputies program, the School Resource Officers, the Traffic Unit, K-9 Unit, the Pro-active Criminal Enforcement Unit, and the Protective Orders Unit.

“The rollout of the FCSO body-worn camera program, starting today, will get body cameras on the street well ahead of the mandated program start date of July 1, 2025,” said FCSO Sheriff Chuck Jenkins. “We have done our due diligence through the year-long pilot program to make sure we made the right decision in the selection of a reliable product vendor in Axon, which has allowed us to put together a very solid policy regarding the use of the body cameras.

“Deputies have been looking forward to the implementation of the body cameras, as the value of the cameras became increasingly apparent during the course of the pilot program.”

Maryland Senate Bill 71 outlines the body-worn camera mandates and includes the following:

• A law enforcement agency shall develop and maintain a written policy consistent with the policy published by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission for the use of body–worn cameras.
• A policy developed and maintained shall specify which law enforcement officers employed by the law enforcement agency will use body–worn cameras.
• A body–worn camera that possesses the requisite technological capability shall automatically record and save at least 60 seconds of video footage immediately prior to the officer activating the record button on the device.
• A law enforcement agency may not negate or alter any of the requirements or policies established through collective bargaining.
• By 2025, all law enforcement agencies in Maryland must outfit officers, who regularly interact with members of the public as part of their official duties, with a body-worn camera.

The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention Youth and Victim Services funded this project, providing $405,000, under sub-award number PACT-2023-0040. All points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of any State or Federal agency.

“The public should realize that body-worn camera programs, now mandated for all of law enforcement agencies in Maryland, will be a tremendously expensive program going forward in terms of the cameras, data storage, and additional personnel required to support the program,” said Jenkins.

For more information on the FCSO body-worn cameras program to include the general capabilities of the camera; limitations; and how to obtain footage, visit this link – https://www.frederickcosheriff.com/body-worncameras.”

Featured photo courtesy of FCSO