NAHANT – Police Chief Timothy Furlong announces that the Nahant Police Department recently completed the implementation of a body-worn camera program to increase transparency and accountability.
Nahant is one of a growing number of communities to launch body-camera programs, in large part due to increased state funding. In November 2022, Nahant Police received a $33,149 grant from the Body-Worn Cameras Grant Program to purchase 26 Getac body-warn cameras and a video and data storage system. Officers first began wearing cameras in March.
“The support and trust of our community is vital. By wearing cameras and recording our interactions we can ensure that each officer performs with the highest level of professionalism,” Chief Furlong said. “Thank you to our officers for their commitment to Nahant by supporting this initiative.”
The Nahant Police Department’s body-warn camera policy states:
• Supervisors and officers must use cameras for official Department activities only.
• Supervisors and officers are required to record interactions with the public in 11 situations, including: vehicle stops; investigative person stops; dispatched calls for service involving civilians; initial responses by patrol officers, including on-site detentions; investigations pursuant to an arrest, arrests, and initial suspect interviews on-scene; prisoner transports; pat frisks and searches of persons who have been arrested; emergency driving; pursuits; and in situations where an officer reasonably believes a crowd control incident may result in unlawful activity; and adversarial contact, including use-of-force incidents.
• Individuals may be recorded when there is no expectation of privacy, such as in a public space. Officers are under no obligation to stop recording if requested.
• Supervisors and officers entering a private location such as a residence without a warrant or exigent circumstance must notify occupants they are recording
• Supervisors and officers may turn off their camera, or record audio .only, in areas where there is an expectation of privacy, such as locker rooms, places of worship, religious ceremonies, certain locations in hospitals or clinics, law offices, and daycare facilities
• Officers are prohibited from recording inside medical facilities during routine matters; during routine medical calls; activities of Department members during non-policing activities; locations where a reasonable expectation of privacy exists, such as dressing rooms or restrooms, except to gather evidence; insensitive exposure of private body parts, except to gather evidence.
• Supervisors and officers must activate cameras prior to any civilian interaction, unless an immediate threat to the supervisor’s or officer’s life or safety makes camera activation dangerous. The camera must be activated at the first reasonable opportunity to do so.
