The Medford Police Department launched its body-worn camera program in December 2023. Under this program, officers are required to record their interactions with citizens when responding to calls for service or during officer-initiated events, such as traffic stops, field encounters, and serving court orders. All footage captured by the officers is stored on a cloud-based system for a duration determined by department policy.
Requests for copies of the footage are subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law.
In early 2022, the City of Medford entered into an agreement with Motorola Solutions to purchase Watchguard V300 body-worn cameras, inclusive of necessary licensing and storage. The department dedicated significant efforts towards policy development, technology infrastructure updates, and personnel training before implementing the program. The Medford Police Department is proud to have successfully launched its body-worn camera program.
Does every officer have a body camera?
Yes, every officer, no matter the assignment or rank is issued a body-worn camera.
When is the camera on?
Generally, officers must manually turn on the camera when they are dispatched to call for service that requires them to do so. This does not include casual conversations, though if a conversation turns into anything that requires formal “police action” then an officer must switch the camera on.
Will officers tell someone they are being recorded?
According to the policy of the department, officers should inform the public when they are recording them. However, people should assume that the camera is always on during any call for service or car stop.
It should be noted that Massachusetts is a two-party consent state, which means that recording any conversation without both parties’ consent is prohibited by law. However, this law does not apply to police body camera recordings.
What kind of training did the officers receive?
Officers received training conducted by the Body Worn Camera Unit and the camera manufacturer, Motorola.
The training put officers through different scenarios in which they would need to activate the camera. The training, hosted by Motorola, also went over how to how to upload the body camera footage. The department also created a full training video that officers have continued access to.
How can the public access the body camera footage?
Any member of the public can make a public records request through the Medford Police Records Department’s Records Access Officer (RAO). All requests for body-worn camera videos are subject to Massachusetts Public Records Law.
How long will the videos be available?
The department will retain video recordings as follows below or pursuant to the records retention standards set forth by department policy and make the video available for court and other proceedings. The Medford Police Department shall retain BWC footage based on categorization, however, the department reserves the right to retain any BWC footage longer on a case-by-case basis as determined by the Police Chief or designee.
What kind of access do officers have to the videos?
All officers have access to and can watch their own videos, but they can’t change anything about the recordings.