Body Worn Cameras
The Chesterfield Police Department began equipping its officers with Body Worn Cameras (BWCs) during the last week of January 2018. The department entered into an agreement with Axon, as part of their National Field Trial program, for a one-year test program of 85 BWCs at no charge. The department intended to use the one year trial period to evaluate the effectiveness and affordability of the Axon equipment prior to making a final decision on which manufacturer of BWC equipment to use going forward. The evaluation period allowed us to fine tune our practices, policies and procedures as they relate to BWCs.
In Janaury 2024, the Chesterfield Police Department switched to Utility for both body and in-car camera systems. This transition allowed for the implementation of newer and advanced techology with the addition of GPS and data retrieval managment.
The department believes that it has developed a culture where its employees provide a high level of customer service, value the constitution, practice fair & impartial policing, and use force only when necessary. The department believes that the actions of its officers are a matter of public record and welcomes the opportunity to enhance transparency through the use of BWCs..
All Chesterfield officers assigned to Patrol, Special Enforcement, Traffic, School Resource and
Investigations are provided with BWCs and will record the majority of their interactions with the public.
The long term goal of this program is to provide a higher degree of
transparency to the public which we hope in turn will foster trust and a more positive
relationship with the community. We believe that BWCs will allow the department the opportunity to confirm the high quality and impartial manner in which our officers perform on a daily basis while also serving as an additional check and balance towards assuring that such quality service continues.