PURPOSE:

Building legitimacy and trust, both internally and with the community is an essential component for the St. Paul Police Department’s Body Worn Cameras (BWC) program. Because trust and transparency are paramount, the Department has created a BWC Quality Control Process (QCP).

The QCP incorporates the operational objectives of the BWC Policy as defined in SPPD General Order 442.18. Operationally, BWC video may be viewed by investigators, prosecutors, defense attorneys, supervisors, and others for specific purposes related to their job. The QCP outlines an additional specific purpose for viewing BWC data, it serves to enhance our robust training program and identify best practices and trends as well as potential deficiencies in an effort to continuously strengthen our position as a national model of excellence.

The purpose of the QCP is to consistently evaluate our performance and work toward improving at every level. These QCP actions are in addition to the statutorily mandated outside audit as prescribed by State Statutes 626.8473 and 13.825.  The QCP is an opportunity for the Saint Paul Police Department to hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards and ensure our department’s values continue to align with our community’s values while providing trusted service with respect.

The Department will conduct two types of quality control reviews: one facilitated by the Technology Unit, and one facilitated through a BWC Review Committee (BWCRC).

QCP PROCESS – TECHNOLOGY UNIT: 

The Technology Unit has a department-wide responsibility to ensure that the BWC system is operating according to Department policy and statutory requirements. The Technology Unit will confirm that videos are being created, saved, categorized, retained, managed and deleted according to policy. During this stage of the QCP, actual reviewing of video will occur when necessary to verify policy compliance. 

Examples of quality assurance to be conducted by the Technology Unit:

  1. Verify that the RMS/CAD integration process is running as scheduled
    1. Review submission reports for concerns or issues
    2. Make corrections to process if needed
  2. Verify all videos have a valid Case Number (CN) and, where possible, that the case number is correct for the incident.
  3. Verify all videos have a retention schedule (category)
  4. Verify all cases have a retention schedule (category)
  5. Review sharing logs and verify there has been no unauthorized sharing activity
  6. Verify any viewing of video contains appropriate “post note” documentation
  7. To the extent possible, verify recordings exist for all situations listed as mandatory for BWC recordings (reference  G.O. 442.18, Paragraph 10, A)
  8. Compare ICC recordings to BWC, verify CN and category match in both systems
  9. Verify cameras are assigned correctly, comparing the assigned officer of a camera to CAD records, ensuring the assigned officer was present on the call. 
  10. Review unassigned cameras that have recordings to determine owner of video
  11. Review inadvertent videos (last two digits of current year, followed by 999999) for compliance with BWC policy

Notification Procedures for the Technology Unit BWC Sergeant

  1. Missing case number or uncategorized videos:
    1. The Technology Unit BWC Sergeant will monitor system generated weekly reports detailing all videos and cases that are uncategorized or have a wrong case number.  These reports are separated by unit and sent to the unit heads who are responsible for ensuring their employees correct the incorrect/missing information. 
    2. If a video remains uncategorized or has a wrong case number for more than 3 weeks, the Technology Unit BWC Sergeant will notify the Commander of the Technology Unit and the Chair of the BWCRC.
    3. Administrative Lockdown
      1. When BWC video has been identified as having a wrong case number or missing/incorrect category and is part of an administrative lockdown (per G.O. 235.20), the Technology Unit BWC Sergeant will notify the Internal Affairs Unit Senior Commander, who will be responsible for correcting the issue.
  1. Other QCP-related issues
    1. If the Technology Unit identifies an issue(s) with a video, s/he will complete the Technology Unit BWC Review Form and forward it to the Chair of the BWCRC.

Quality Control Process – BWC Review Committee (BWCRC): 

The BWC Review Committee (BWCRC) is responsible for reviewing randomly selected videos to ensure compliance with the BWC policy. The BWCRC will specifically verify compliance with items listed on the BWC Review Worksheet. The BWCRC will hold bi-monthly meetings to conduct these reviews.  They will also be responsible for making recommendations on refining and improving the BWC policy, training, and equipment use.

The Committee will identify trends, training issues, and concerns based on review of BWC videos and metadata. The findings and recommendations of the Committee will be forwarded to the appropriate unit, including the SPPD Training Unit for consideration in future department-wide in-service trainings.  If the Committee observes a policy violation, the Committee will refer the incident to the BWCRC Chair, who will brief the Assistant Chief on the violation. Based on the totality of the circumstances of the violation, the appropriate action will be taken ranging from supervisory counseling to a formal internal affairs investigation with the potential for disciplinary action. If the BWCRC observes conduct that is worthy of recognition, the Committee will notify the employee’s commander/supervisor of the noteworthy action so that the employee can be appropriately recognized.  

BWCRC Committee Members

The BWCRC will consist of the following 11 members:

  1. Executive Officer to the Assistant Chief of Police (Committee Chair)
  2. Executive Officer to the Operations Division
  3. Executive Officer to the Major Crimes Division
  4. Executive Officer to the Support Services Division
  5. Executive Officer to the Community Engagement Division
  6. Technology Unit BWC Sergeant
  7. Training Unit BWC Sergeant
  8. Police officer from the Western District
  9. Police officer from the Central District
  10. Police officer from the Eastern District
  11. Executive Board member of the Saint Paul Police Federation

Video Selection Criteria

All BWC videos captured by sworn employees, regardless of rank or assigned division, will be subject to review. These videos will be randomly selected by a computer program using a random number generator. The BWCRC will review 40 videos per month. At least one video will be selected from each of the following classifications as listed in G.O. 442.18(15a):

  1. Misc./Equip Maint/Training
  2. Civil/Morgan Plan
  3. General Citizen Contact
  4. Traffic Stop (Non-Arrest)
  5. Squad Accident / AWI
  6. Vehicle Pursuit
  7. Arrest/Evidence/RRA
  8. CSC
  9. Investigation of a Death/Admin Hold

When the BWCRC reviews video, they will add a “post note” to evidence.com that states the video was reviewed as part of the Department’s Quality Control Process (QCP). 

The BWCRC will complete a quarterly report for the Assistant Chief of Police.  This report will summarize their findings and recommendations for the previous quarter.

Revised June 3, 2019

Last Edited: July 22, 2020