On Friday, June 12, Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff approved using body cameras on deputies countywide. Deputies will have the discretion on when to turn the recording devices on.
Full deployment will require several years and funding, according to the Sheriff’s Department press release.
Deputies in the Jurupa Valley have been testing the cameras on a voluntary basis for several months. According to the Sheriff’s Department, the number of complaints about deputies has declined 30 percent.
Possible funding sources include a federal grant. The grant would provide 50 percent of the cost and the county would fund the difference. This grant would acquire about 1,000 cameras for deputies and some community service officers, but not the cost of data storage.
