About
All sworn Howard County Police officers are equipped with body worn cameras. After years of research and development, including input from stakeholders and community groups, the BWC program was launched in August 2022. The program has been well-received through the community and the agency in a partnership that offers transparency about police interactions with the public.
Body Worn Camera Frequently Asked Questions
All Howard County police officers are issued body worn cameras. Compliance with the BWC program policy is mandatory and any violations by officers shall result in disciplinary action.
BWCs are automatically activated every time an officer turns on emergency equipment in a patrol car, turns on a Taser, or removes a firearm from its holster. Vehicles and holsters are equipped with sensors to ensure cameras are immediately activated in these situations.
Officers activate BWCs for legitimate law enforcement purposes only. The cameras record video from the 60 seconds prior to their activation. An officer who activates a BWC for a law enforcement purpose shall not intentionally deactivate it without a clear investigative purpose and shall document the reason in the written report (i.e. victim request).
When responding to K-12 educational institutions, officers refrain from activating the camera unless necessary for law enforcement purposes.
When responding to hospitals or other medical facilities, officers refrain from activating the BWC until necessary for investigation or other law enforcement purposes. To the extent possible, officers will protect medical privacy.
Officers shall inform citizens that they are being recorded at the beginning of their contact or as soon as safely possible. Victims, witnesses, and other persons who wish to make a statement or share information during a voluntary interaction, may request the officer to stop (or not start) the BWC video and audio recording.
Officers may honor these requests but are not required to stop recording if it is pursuant to investigation, arrest, lawful search, or the circumstances clearly indicate that continued recording is necessary.
Every effort will be made to provide language assistance to citizens who are limited- or non-English proficient to understand that they are being recorded.
The County Council approved the County Executive’s requests to fund the affected county departments to implement the BWC program. The approved FY23 budget funding includes:
- Police - $2.8M
- Sheriff - $411K
- State's Attorney - $1.5M
- Department of Technology and Communication Services - $28K
Recordings are kept for at least three (3) years, or the minimum time required under all applicable laws and policies. BWC recordings that are considered evidence related to an investigation or complaint will be retained until the case is adjudicated.
Open homicide and sexual assault evidence is retained for 80 years. All other open felony case evidence is retained for 10 years.
HCPD releases BWC footage consistent with the Maryland Public Information Act and other applicable State and Federal statutes and regulations and in consultation with the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office. Each video is assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure a timely release without negatively impacting a criminal investigation or prosecution.
Yes, private information is redacted prior to a video’s release in compliance with all records release laws. This may include medical information protected under HIPAA.
No, an officer does not have the ability to delete or alter recordings.
The entire HCPD BWC policy is available to the public on our website: ADM 31 - Body Worn Cameras.
BWC Program
There have been more than 200K videos recorded by Howard County police officers. Recordings are kept for at least three years, or the minimum time required under all applicable laws and policies.
BWC recordings that are considered evidence related to an investigation or complaint will be retained until the case is adjudicated.
The civilian Digital/BWC Management Section includes nine administrative employees who run the program behind the scenes. They are responsible for reviewing video requests through the Public Information Act, state’s attorney’s office, and legal subpoenas before release.
These employees undertake extensive training to ensure timely and effective video processing. During the first year of the program, they handled nearly 2,000 requests for video from various sources, totaling approximately 6,000 hours of work.
The sworn Body Worn Camera Division, which manages all device-related maintenance, upgrades and training, has grown to include one lieutenant and three sworn officers. They ensure the program’s equipment and technology remain operational and state-of-the art.
Refresher training is conducted for officers every six months to reinforce policies and procedures.
Program History
The Howard County Police Department received approval for the implementation of a body worn camera (BWC) program to be funded in Fiscal Year 2022.
The launch included:
- Cameras for uniformed officers
- New Body Worn Camera Division and Video Management Section
- 10 new positions (three sworn, seven civilian)
- Extensive training for every sworn member and many civilians
- Equipment acquisition
News Release: Howard County Executive Signs Budget Amendment to Fund Body-Worn Camera Program Beginning in October
By August 2022, all uniformed Howard County Police officers who regularly interact with members of the public were wearing and operating BWCs.
Since then, the program has continued to grow and evolve with the needs of the community. The current policy on the use of BWCs is available to read in full here: ADM 31 - Body Worn Cameras. In our ongoing commitment to transparency, we have also provided a list of frequently asked questions, including information about camera activation, privacy issues, video release and more.