New Body- Worn Camera Implementation Program

Project Abstract 

New Body- Worn Camera Implementation Program

The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Police Department (CMHAPD) is committed to building relationships of mutual trust between the police, partner agencies, and the community it serves based on the Police Department's Core Values of TRUST: Tenacity, Respect, Understanding, and Training. 

In the wake of two recent officer-involved shootings, social justice groups and members of the public are questioning the legitimacy of the Police Department. The lack of body camera footage contributes to the fraught relationships between the police and communities of color. It is imperative to integrate this technology as the next step in the agency's comprehensive problem solving and community engagement strategy to improve officer interactions with citizens, promote civil rights, and build greater transparency and accountability.

Purpose: The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Police Department is seeking $150,000 in grant funding to support the establishment of a new comprehensive body-worn camera program.

Goals:

Implement a BWC program developed in a planned and phased approach to include training and deployment procedures.
Improve the quality of service provided to residents and promote perceived legitimacy, a sense of fairness, and transparency.
Strengthen the Department's oversight and accountability.
Establish training and evaluation protocols to enhance officer performance in tactics, communication, and customer service.
Implement operational procedures and tracking mechanisms that address the use, review, access, storage, retention, redaction, and deletion of digital evidence media.

Objectives:

By year one, acquire body-worn cameras, improve the Department's information technology infrastructure to support the project, and assign cameras to the department members. 
By year one, implement an outreach plan informing and generating buy-in from the community and officers about the BWC program.
By the end of year one, train 100% of Members who interact with residents daily on the BWC equipment operation.
By the end of year two, anticipate a decrease in the number of misconduct complaints by 25%.
By the end of year three, anticipate a continued decrease in the number of misconduct complaints by 50%.
Throughout the grant's life cycle, evaluate the program's effectiveness against a set of performance standards.

Impact: The anticipated outcome of implementing a full-scale body-worn camera program is aimed at improving public safety, reducing crime, strengthen accountability, enhancing transparency, and improving public trust between the police department and the community it serves.