All Department of Veterans Affairs police officers will begin to use in-car and body-worn cameras by the end of this year.
According to a June 16 VA release, police officers in VA’s Desert Pacific Healthcare Network will be the first to use the cameras beginning on Tuesday.
“Using dashcams and bodycams will make our facilities even safer – building trust in our great police force while increasing transparency and promoting de-escalation,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough in a statement.
The new policy will help VA’s police force execute its mission to protect veterans, their families, caregivers, survivors, visitors, and VA employees while on VA grounds, the release states.
The cameras will automatically record video and audio when an officer draws their issued firearm from their duty belt holster or when an officer activates the emergency lights in their police vehicle.
“By outfitting every VA police officer with a body-worn camera, we’re enhancing transparency and ensuring safety and accountability in policing,” said Veterans Health Administration Senior Security Officer Troy Brown.
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Officers will also manually turn on their BWCs when conducting investigations and during enforcement encounters. In-car cameras will be turned on for traffic stops, while responding to calls for service and while transporting those in custody.
VA police officers and privacy officers are undergoing extensive training to prepare to use the cameras. Footage will only be used for police investigations and court proceedings, or for limited other purposes as allowed under federal law. Unless there is a clear and compelling need for a recording, no video will be recorded in locations where a reasonable expectation of personal privacy exists.
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The policy is the result of both an executive order signed by President Joe Biden and the Cleland-Dole Act of 2022. The executive order mandates that all federal law enforcement agencies use body-worn cameras while the Cleland-Dole Act requires all VA police officers to wear body cameras that record and store video and audio.
VA employs approximately 4,670 VA police officers who serve at its facilities and campuses.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.