Body-worn Camera Technology Upgrades

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) to expand a body-worn camera (BWCs) program and equip sworn officers with BWCs. Fulton County is the largest county in the state of Georgia, encompassing 13 municipalities, unincorporated regions of the county, and portions of the City of Atlanta. Fulton County has a population of 1,065,334, of which 45.5% are White, 44.5% Black/African American, 7.6% Asian, and 7.2% Hispanic/Latino. Fulton County is 534 square miles, financially stratified from the affluent suburbs of north metro-Atlanta to the impoverished area south of the state’s capital. Just over half (51.5%) of the population is female. The median household income in 2021 was $77,635 and 13.7% of persons were living in poverty according to the United States Census Quick Facts.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) presents a unique environment for the use of BWCs as a significant number of interactions are with inmates versus members of the public. Body Worn Cameras to include cameras, docking stations, software, and training. FCSO will engage in public outreach, marketing, policy creation, and officer education. Program outcomes include: 1) Reduce citizen complaints by providing transparency in interactions between law enforcement and public; 2) Decreased use of force and volatile incidents by enhancing the accountability of law enforcement personnel and the public; 3) Leverage digital multimedia evidence (DME) to support the prosecution of criminal cases; 4) Increase evidence quality and to gain back public confidence in law enforcement; 5) Provide visual and audio evidence that can independently verify events in a correctional facility; and 6) Protect law enforcement personnel against false accusations of misconduct.