LITITZ BOROUGH – Last year, on July 1, 2020, the LBPD became the fifth policy agency in Lancaster County to utilize body-worn cameras (BWCs). In the first year of use, the LBPD has realized positive outcomes, which include:

• Capture of compelling and critical best-evidence in criminal proceedings.
• Promoting and enhancing existing police-community relations and trust through agency and officer transparency.
• Providing an additional tool to address public concerns related to officer conduct.
• Providing for enhanced abilities for the LBPD to monitor officer work for performance and address training needs.

The pairing of LBPD BWCs with existing mobile video recorders (aka in-car cameras) and in-station audio and video recording equipment resulted in an interoperable system which allows for technology components to communicate with each other and automatically and simultaneously activate embedded features. Evidence management and reporting capabilities provide the LBPD officers with simple, yet effective and efficient workflows. This entire systems approach took advantage of interoperability to provide a seamless process from start-to-end.

At the time of purchase and implementation, there was no (and still is no) requirement to equip officers with BWCs. However, the LBPD believed in the inherent benefits to both the officers and the community by providing each officer with a BWC that has a unique identifier specific to that officer.

The purchase of the BWC equipment was made available through a grant funding stream awarded by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). The planning and implementation process incorporated input from community stakeholders, criminal justice professionals and other key advisory groups.

The LBPD policy regarding to use of audio and video recordings by law enforcement was publicly released in its entirety without redaction when the BWCs were implemented.

Media contact: Media@LititzPD.org.