Press release from the City of Gaithersburg:
The Gaithersburg Police Department (GPD) will deploy Body-Worn Cameras (BWC) this week with selected officers. The deployment with the selected officers is intended to test the body-worn camera system before a Department-wide roll out that will be conducted in three phases in November, December and January. All uniformed GPD officers are expected to be deployed with and carrying body-worn cameras by the end of January 2018.
The Police Department has been exploring and preparing for the implementation of a body-worn camera program for several years. The exhaustive process included exploring financial and infrastructure needs, working with outside agencies, researching and implementing policy and procedure best-practices for body-worn cameras, meeting with community stakeholders and elected officials, and meeting with GPD officers to develop a governing policy that will work best within the Gaithersburg community. Sources of best-practice ideas for the body-worn camera policy include the Maryland Police Training Commission, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Police Executive Research Forum, ACLU, Civil Rights Principles on Use of Body Cameras, Montgomery County Police policy, and a focus group of GPD officers.
Body-worn cameras allow the Department to capture both audio and video interactions between officers and individuals. The program can help document police and citizen behavior, help resolve citizen complaints, and can be used as evidence in criminal proceedings and civil litigation.
Guidelines and instructions for officer use of body-worn cameras can be found in General Order 619.4. The General Order, as well as additional background information on the body-worn camera program, can be found here. For more information please contact the Gaithersburg Police Department at 301-258-6400.