The Sacramento Sheriff’s Office has completed its field - based personnel body worn camera implementation as of May 31, 2021, just slightly ahead of schedule and after a 3 year long process of requesting, budgeting and testing with the County Board of Supervisors.  North, Central, East Patrol and Rancho Cordova Police Department, as well as the specialty teams of North POP, North HOT, Major Crimes, Special Enforcement Detail (SED) Gang Suppression Unit and Community Service Officers are utilizing body worn cameras during the duration of their shift.  Additional Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office personnel will be outfitted with body cams pending Board of Supervisor budgetary approval.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office is proud of how our deputies provide service to the community they serve.  We look forward to our new ability to showcase our deputy’s professionalism and are confident recording their everyday activities and interactions with the community.  The Sacramento Sheriff’s Office is a leader in our profession, innovation and best practices.  Body worn cameras will allow the Office of the Sheriff to remain on the cutting edge of technology while providing quality “Service with Concern” to the citizens of Sacramento County.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office is cognizant of the privacy concerns of our community.  Our Deputies have been trained regarding the recording of victims of crimes.  Victims can request the camera be turned off and the investigating deputy will in most instances honor that request.  All body worn camera videos will be in compliance with the Public Records Act.

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The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to announce that effective today, February 15, 2021, the specialized units of Gangs, Homeless Outreach and North Problem Oriented Policing (POP) will be equipped with body worn cameras.  After a process that started with field-testing cameras in 2017, and officially requesting funding for body cams in 2018, our body worn program has finally begun.  This pilot program approach allows the sheriff’s office to study and evaluate the effectiveness, as well as the technology, data storage and best practices.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office is committed to an ongoing partnership with our community to provide the highest level of service based on trust and transparency.  In addition to our in-car camera systems which have been utilized for over a decade, the implementation of the body worn cameras will allow deputies to document incidents and interactions and obtain evidence during investigations.  In terms of evidence collection, body worn cameras and in-car cameras provide an invaluable record of statements, physical evidence, and timeline of events during crimes in progress and other critical incidents.

Additionally, the sheriff’s office will be able to review the video footage to debrief critical incidents and use the camera footage as a training tool to keep officers well trained and prepared.  We embrace this valuable tool and are proud of our deputies’ professionalism as they provide service to the Sacramento County Community.

We are on track for a full deployment of body worn cameras by June 2021.  The agency wide distribution of body-worn cameras for deputies will enhance safety, increase accountability, reduce County liability and advance prosecution.

Sergeant Rod Grassmann

Sheriff’s Spokesman

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