A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 23-05, regarding a report on beginning the process of obtaining police body worn cameras (BWC) for the Cambridge Police Department, and to work with all appropriate departments to produce policy recommendations that would allow body worn camera usage while also not violating civil liberties in compliance with the City’s Surveillance Ordinance

ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO 125 SIXTH STREET, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02142 TELEPHONE [phone removed] WEB www.cambridgepolice.org FACEBOOK facebook.com/CambridgePolice TWITTER twitter.com/CambridgePolice Yi-An Huang City Manager Christine Elow Police Commissioner To: City Manager, Yi-An Huang From: Police Commissioner, Christine Elow Date: March 15, 2023 Ref.: Awaiting Report 2023-05 – Beginning the Process of Obtaining Body Worn Cameras The purpose of this response is to address Awaiting Report #2023-05 that the City Manager report on beginning the process of obtaining police body worn cameras (BWC) for the Cambridge Police Department, and to work with all appropriate departments to produce policy recommendations that would allow body worn camera usage while also not violating civil liberties in compliance with the City’s Surveillance Ordinance. After community support was most recently expressed and a policy order was adopted, the Cambridge Police has made steady and significant progress towards implementing a body worn camera program. Building off the preliminary work that was conducted by the CPD in 2020, the Department has been guided by the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Body Camera Task Force report and has aggressively initiated several processes that are required to implement a program. The processes include: • Assembling a team of employees within the police department and City to research current technologies, understand what resources would be needed short and long-term to best support a program, draft policy pertaining to the deployment and use of body worn cameras, and draft a Request for Information (RFI) to be published for vendors to respond with suitable options for the CPD. The team consists of sworn command staff members, professional staff members within the CPD, as well as staff from Public Safety IT (PSIT) and the Law Department. • Drafting and submitting an RFI to the Purchasing Department for review and advertisement. This extensive document is designed to provide the CPD with as much information on BWC technology and data storage as possible. The Department and PSIT met preliminarily with some leading vendors in the field regarding hardware, IT infrastructure, use, and implementation, but determined that an RFI would be the most useful method of gathering as much information regarding BWCs and their implementation as possible. o CPD will review RFI responses along with PSIT and support them through the process. The information obtained through an RFI will allow proper scope for finalizing a possible RFP and implementation in Cambridge.

ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO 125 SIXTH STREET, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02142 o The advertisement for the RFI is anticipated to be posted by the end of March 2023. Vendor responses are expected to be submitted within four weeks of the posting. • Conducting site visits with local and state departments who have implemented BWCs. Much was learned from a visit with the Malden Police, who recently deployed BWCs. Malden is less than half the size of CPD. Additional site visits are planned for March 2023 with the Boston Police and the Massachusetts State Police to determine scope and staff resources needed for implementation and operations of a successful BWC program. These larger departments are expected to provide greater insight on the possible challenges with implementing this technology on a larger scale. • Drafting a recommended policy on the implementation and use of BWCs. The draft was written following a site visit and extensive research of BWC policies from nearly 20 agencies locally and around the country, so best practices and protocols are reflected in the initial draft. The policy was also drafted with the recommendations of the Law Enforcement Body Camera Task Force in mind. An initial draft policy was shared with the Law Department in March 2023 for review. Members of the community will have an opportunity to provide input in the policy development process through advisory groups, boards and commissions. It is anticipated that the policy will need to be refined to reflect the operating procedures for the BWC system that is ultimately selected by the CPD. • Engaging both the Cambridge Police Patrol Officers Association (CPPOA) and the Cambridge Police Superior Officers Association (CPSOA) in bargaining. Once the Law Department review is complete, the Department and city administration will send a draft policy to both unions to begin negotiations. • Beginning the application process in order to secure a grant from the Department of Justice. The application is expected to be submitted in April 2023. The grant covers up to $2,000 per camera and has a dollar-for-dollar match requirement. o Anticipated budgetary impacts will be determined following further research and identifying needs, such as leasing rather than purchasing and/or additional resource requirements. • Submitting a Surveillance Technology Impact Report (STIR) to the City Council for review and approval once a BWC vendor, costs, and other key factors have been identified. • Evaluating several future decision points as progress is made towards the implementation of BWCs. Those decision points include reviewing the responses associated with the RFI process, conducting a field trial with prospective vendor(s) to identify hardware and software needs and resource requirements, training needs and development, records and retention fulfillment, and establishing a robust community engagement plan that effectively involves the community and other stakeholders in the implementation process. o A goal is to implement a 1–3-month field trial as soon as practical. o A separate goal is to initiate a robust community engagement process once a vendor is selected. The BWC team remains committed to steadily moving this important program forward as much of the work is being conducted concurrently. The City Council should expect additional updates on the status of this initiative as the CPD reaches milestones on the way to the full implementation of BWCs.

ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO 125 SIXTH STREET, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02142 We hope that this overview provides sufficient insight into the work we are doing as a city to implement a successful body worn camera program. The implementation of this program is one of many that the CPD and City are doing to address increased transparency and accountability. If there are any additional questions or more information is needed regarding this matter, please let me know. Respectfully, Christine Elow Police Commissioner