A surge in the use of body cameras by California police officers is on the rise.
Chula Vista Police Chief David Bejarano, head of the California Police Chiefs Association, said Thursday about 20 percent of the state's police departments now use body cameras.
The cameras became popular across the state when the police shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., sparked a national conversation about race and policing, Bejarano said at a news conference at the Chula Vista Police Department.
But, he said, the technology helps officers as much as it helps the community hold officers accountable.
"Our District Attorney's Office now can access that information online so they have a picture beyond the narrative," Bejarano said. "So we're going to be seeing — and other cities have seen — more successful prosecutions."
Chula Vista Officer Pedro Diaz said he's noticed his interactions with those he pulls over for traffic violations have improved since being outfitted with a camera.
"Once they start realizing we have cameras, I think they tend to be more civilized and more professional," Diaz said.
Chula Vista police began piloting body cameras in 2010 and rolled them out across the entire department in January.
Bejarano said city funds and contributions from community groups helped the department cover the cost — about $72,000 for the equipment and up to $100,000 to store the footage.
Police departments in Coronado and San Diego also use the cameras. Carlsbad, La Mesa, El Cajon and the county Sheriff's Department plan to follow suit.
Bejarano said most departments, including his, would treat the footage as evidence. That means he won't release it freely to the public or news media but may use his discretion to do so.
San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman has said she would not release footage as a public record.
The American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties has said departments should exercise caution in releasing video to protect the privacy of individuals contacted by police and bystanders.
Chula Vista officers upload the video to a secure server via an application on their cellphones.
Footage from routine stops is stored for nine months. Footage from criminal incidents will be stored in accordance with the statute of limitations for that particular crime, said Capt. Lon Turner.
San Diego County is soliciting bids for a test fleet of cameras. The Sheriff's Department would have to write its own policies and procedures for using the cameras and storing footage before piloting them.
