With the help of $1.5 million in federal funding, correctional officers in San Bernardino County will soon be wearing body-worn cameras in the county-run jails, officials announced Tuesday.
Sheriff Shannon Dicus, along with Congresswoman Young Kim and 4th District County Supervisor Curt Hagman held a press conference, saying the purchase of the body-worn cameras will improve transparency and accountability in the correctional system.
“As most of you know, in our corrections we have a number of things that are becoming highly politicized, whether it’s in-custody deaths, the fentanyl crisis and things that are affecting us,” Dicus said.
The sheriff said he believes the cameras will help officials have eyes in their jails and other facilities.
The money used to purchase the new equipment is from a larger portion of $6.5 million already spent to bring body-worn cameras and other equipment to patrol deputies and specialized teams like SWAT.
In total, 1,200 of the body-worn cameras should be in use by the end of September.
“These are the updated tools that law enforcement needs to better do their jobs and ensure that deputies follow their accountability practices,” Congresswoman Kim said.
Advocates of body-worn cameras believe these tools help keep law enforcement officers accountable.
“I think prior to the use of body-worn cameras, it was always just a question of someone who was violated by the police, their words against the police officers,” Lauren Bonds, executive director of the National Police Accountability Project, told KTLA’s Shelby Nelson. “Body-worn cameras really changed, giving more credibility to a person who accused a police officer of misconduct.”
Sheriff DIcus said he welcomes and acknowledges that accountability, but also believes the cameras provide an opportunity for the public to see what his deputies respond to.
“It also shows when you and I are talking, being able to visually see the crisis they’re in and understanding that a law enforcement officer many times has literally seconds to be able to be involved and make decisions in these crises,” he said.