On Dec. 29, the project manager, in cooperation with the testing committee, determined that the group had collected sufficient data to evaluate this vendor
VANCOUVER – On Dec. 8, 2021, Vancouver Police began the testing and evaluation (T&E) process with a camera vendor to evaluate their platform for body and in-car cameras. Ten officers were equipped with body cameras and six vehicles were equipped with a dash and rear passenger area camera. The department initially allotted 60 days for the T&E with the vendor.
On Dec. 29, 2021, the project manager, in cooperation with the testing committee, determined that the group had collected sufficient data to evaluate this vendor. The Request For Proposal (RFP) committee, which includes two community representatives, met to review the T&E report and the decision was made to conclude the T&E for this vendor and issue a new request for proposal (RFP), which will include modified requirements based on the information learned from the recent T&E process. All equipment was disconnected and packaged for return to the vendor on Dec. 29, 2021.
On Sunday (Jan. 9), four Vancouver Police officers were involved in an officer-involved shooting. None of the involved officers had been part of the camera T&E testing group and none of their vehicles had been outfitted with cameras.
“We recognize that proposal and testing processes take time, but these are vitally important steps to help the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Police Department identify and implement the right camera platform with the necessary features, functionalities and support to meet the needs and expectations of the department and community,” said Vancouver Police Chief James McElvain. “Although we are eager to get a system in place as soon as possible, we need to ensure that we are making the right choice and not just the fast choice.”
For more information on the Vancouver Police Department camera project visit: Vancouver Police Camera Study | City of Vancouver, Washington, USA
Information provided by Vancouver Police Department.
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