Dallas, Georgia BJA FY21 Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation to Support Law Enforcement Agencies Grant Application.

The City of Dallas, Georgia has a diverse population of 13,321. Chief A.J. Duvall and Mayor James Kelly have made improving police-community relations a top priority and have implemented and improved upon the community-oriented policing strategy of the Dallas Police Department (DPD) since the start of their tenures. As part of moving further along with their community-oriented policing goals, the DPD is establishing a Body-Worn Camera (BWC) Program. A BWC Program is a key component of meeting the expectations of our community and will continue to make the DPD the leader in Paulding County Georgia in the use of innovations in technology to solve crimes and allow it to continue fostering a great relationship with its community members. The DPD has taken significant steps to move forward with a BWC Program, including research and testing of equipment and data management tools, research into policies, developing support from community stakeholders, and gaining unanimous long-term support from the Mayor and City Council for the BWC Program.

The Dallas Police Department’s primary activities in establishing a BWC Program will be to:

Deploy BWCs to officers who regularly interact with the public;
Incorporate the BWC Program into DPD’s policy and training;
Implement strong policies to ensure proper and credible us of BWCs; and,
Establish a continuing BWC Program which remains technologically current and financially sustainable;

The Dallas Police Department’s goals are to benefit the Dallas Community and the Dallas Police Department by establishing a BWC Program which will:

Strengthen accountability, promote perceived legitimacy, and increase sense of fairness;
Promote de-escalation by both law enforcement officers and those they encounter; 
Enhance the ability to resolve officer-involved incidents and complaints; 
Improve transparency; 
Identify and correct internal agency training, policy and other issues; 
Strengthen officer performance and safety; and 
Increase community safety.

The DPD will effectively utilize partnerships to ensure success. This includes internal partnerships with the Mayor, City Council, and City Manager. It also includes external partnerships with the Paulding County District Attorney’s Office and the Paulding County Public Defender’s Office, along with establishing input and feedback from members and organizations within our community.

The deliverables for DPD’s BWC Program include:

Deployment of BWCs to DPD officers;
A current and reliable digital multi-media evidence storage and management system; and
A strong policy and an ongoing training program for BWC use.