Public Meeting Notice  Law Enforcement Body Worn Camera Task Force: Technology and Procurement Subcommittee Meeting

TECHNOLOGY AND PROCUREMENT SUBCOMMITTE

LAW ENFORCEMENT BODY WORN CAMERA TASK FORCE.

Date: December 22, 2021

Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Place: Microsoft Teams (Virtual Meeting – access link posted publicly on mass.gov)

 

Subcommittee Members Present:

Tim Mitchell, Executive Office of Technology and Support Services

Deborah Batista, Executive Vice President, New England Police Benevolent Association

 

Subcommittee Member Absent:

Sheriff Patrick McDermott, Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association

 

Staff:

Daniel Nakamoto, EOPSS (Board Advisor)

 

 

1. Approval of Minutes

 

Upon motion made and seconded. The minutes of the Technology and Procurement Subcommittee meeting held on December 10, 2021 were approved.

 

2. A process by which body camera footage may be included in the public record

 

There was discussion regarding the need for additional requirements beyond public records and privacy laws governing the release of body worn cameras and dashcam recordings.  It was determined that no additional requirements were needed.

 

3. Standards for procurement of body-worn cameras and vehicle dashcams by law enforcement agencies

 

Subcommittee members had reviewed the list of Technical Requirements for body worn cameras and dashcams developed by the State Police for their recent procurement. 

All of the 69 items were discussed, and determinations were made on which items would be selected as standards.  At about two thirds way through the review, it was decided that some items did not have to be a standard but was a “best practice” that would be helpful for police departments.  Subcommittee members should reconsider all the items selected as standards for the next meeting.  Technical requirements selected as standards include:

 

RECORDING STANDARDS

 

S-1          Recording: Format:  Video and audio must be recorded and exported in a standard, open, non- proprietary format, including both Codec and Contain​er, such that it can be replayed in freely available software (e.g., VLC player) without processing or conversion. Standard open formats should be used for interoperability. Examples include MP4 and MKV. Data formats that can only be viewed within manufacturer-specific replay software should not be proposed.

Video must also be accompanied by a full audit log showing every time the event was moved, reviewed, or exported with full verification data. Exported video must include embedded date/time stamp.

S-2          Recording: Resolution:  Cameras must record High-Definition video at a resolution of 1080P and/or 1280x720 (720P) with a 16:9 wide screen aspect ratio or better. Cameras must also be able to record Standard Definition video at a resolution of 864x480 (480P) with a 16:9 wide screen aspect ratio or better.

In-Car - High-Definition Front Camera -The front camera must be capable of recording High-Definition video in multiple resolutions. Vendor to specify the maximum degree of view and resolution level provided (ex: 1080P, 720P etc.).   

S-3          Recording: Video Compression: The Vendor’s proposed system must have video compression features. The vendor must specify the video compression used in their BWCs and in-car video systems.

S-4          Recording: Frame Rate:  Camera equipment proposed by the Vendor must have a minimum frame rate of 30 frames per second (fps).

S-5          Recording: Horizontal Field of View:  Camera equipment offered by the Vendor must have a field of view of at least 90 degrees. The Vendor is to specify the maximum field of view of its camera equipment.

S-6          Recording: Camera Focus: Camera equipment must be able to focus on all objects from approximately 1 foot away to infinity. Only continuous autofocus or fixed focus devices will be accepted. The Vendor is to specify any automatic image stabilization features available.

S-7          Recording: Audio Capacity:  Audio recording is required. The audio recording system must be capable of clearly capturing conversational speech at 3 feet without wind or excessive background noise.

S-8          Recording: Triggering:  Cameras may be user-triggered or event-triggered. Any recording latency must be minimal. The Vendor must specify whether the BWC can be triggered by the In-Car video system and/or the In-Car video system can be triggered by the BWC.

The Vendor must specify all triggering mechanisms, such as the emergency lights, siren, auxiliary input, wireless microphone, vehicle speed, and crash detection sensor to automatically activate BWC and In-Car cameras.

S-9          Recording: Low light/Night Mode: Camera equipment proposed by Vendors must be capable of recording useable video in both low light and nighttime conditions. The Vendor must describe the technologies used in its cameras to improve the quality of video taken under these conditions.

S-10       Recording: Synchronization:  Audio recordings must be synchronized with the video captured by the camera. In addition, the camera must be synchronized in some manner with an external universal clock to ensure time accuracy.

S-11       Recording: Metadata:  Information about the event category, camera wearer/username, location, date, and time must be collected and packaged in the video format.

The Vendor must specify any additional metadata information captured and recorded, such as, and not limited to, record status, microphone status, emergency lighting status, brake status, GPS coordinates, etc.

S-12       Recording: Programmable Event, Categorization, In-Field Tagging:     Camera systems must allow for event categorization and in-field tagging by users.  Systems must allow recorded events to be categorized via the on-screen menu. Categorization selections must be administratively configurable and allow selection via a pre-defined list, numeric text, or alphanumeric text input.

Systems must allow the agency to program at least 4- 6 different event category prompts in order to collect data deemed relevant regarding each recorded event. Event prompts must display automatically after each event recording has been stopped by the Officer. Prompts must not preclude the system from continuing to record video to its buffer.

S-13       Recording: GPS:  The BWC units should have GPS capabilities and the GPS information must be embedded in recorded video.

In-Car systems must have the capability of maintaining the location of the patrol vehicle by Global Positioning System (GPS). When installed, the system shall be able to show vehicle coordinates and speed in the on-screen text and recorded metadata. Additionally, GPS shall allow the system to automatically and continually update its date and time to ensure accuracy across the fleet.

S-14       Recording: Pre-Event and Post-Event Recording:  The camera must have a pre-record feature (buffer) of at least 30 seconds. The system should also be capable of automatically capturing post-event video for at least 2 minutes. Vendor to specify product features for these settings to be independently adjustable and restricted by a supervisor. Pre- and post-event times must be continuous with the record event. Systems that record pre- and post-event times onto separate video events will not be acceptable.

 

S-15       Recording: Single Button:  The BWC must be able to be activated and deactivated by pressing a single button.

 

S-16      Recording: Covert/Stealth Mode:  To allow the user to covertly record, the system must allow the user to quickly disable the camera's screen and LED indicators while automatically activating all audio and video recording.  Vendors must describe the officer safety features of their BWC solutions, such as stealth mode with lights/audible alerts dimmed and sound muted by the user, etc.

 

S-17       Recording: Simultaneous Record and Playback:  The system shall be able to playback previously recorded video while simultaneously recording new video on installed cameras and microphones.

 

S-18      Recording: Mobile Data Computer Interface:  The system shall have the ability to interface with the vehicle's mobile data computer (MDC) with optional software provided by the vendor that allows the user to perform at least the following functions: login and logout, camera and microphone activation, record and stop, recorded event categorization and recorded event playback. The Vendor must specify the operating system and browsers supported and whether its application supports a touch screen interface. The Vendor must specify if the application is leveraging the MDC for any processor-intensive tasks including, but not limited to, video encoding and/or video conversion.

 

EQUIPMENT STANDARDS

 

S-19       Equipment: Tamper Resistant:  Camera systems proposed by the Vendor must prohibit recordings from being edited or deleted and must not overwrite existing data before it has been transferred. The Vendor must describe, in detail, how video and audio recordings are protected.

S-20       Equipment: Device Storage:  Cameras must have a minimum of 16 hours of high-definition video recording time on non-volatile, onboard storage. Camera storage may be less, provided captured video is offloaded during, or immediately after, recording. Storage for offloaded data must meet the tamper resistance requirements noted in requirement S-19.

The Vendor must specify the maximum onboard memory storage capacity of its BWC unit.

S-21       Equipment: Camera Battery:  Cameras must have a battery which provides a minimum of 8 hours of recording time (with a hot swappable battery solution) or a minimum of 12 hours of recording time with a battery integrated into the BWC. Batteries must be rechargeable. The Vendor must specify (1) if its battery is internal or removable, (2) whether its BWC unit has a charging light indicator, (3) the recording life of the camera battery, (4) the standby duration of the BWC battery, (5) battery charging time (0%-full), and (6) whether the camera can be charged without docking and uploading the video (the Vendor must describe how this is accomplished with its product).

 

S-22       Equipment: Durability:  Camera and audio equipment must withstand considerable and repetitive pressure, vibration, and mechanical shock. It should operate within a temperature range from -20F to 125F and be resistant to common environmental hazards, such as dust, condensation, water splashes, and RF interference. Equipment should meet the MIL-STD-810G or similar standard. The Vendor must describe the tests used on its devices (e.g., drop test, operating temperatures, vibration, water resistance, etc.). The BWC unit must be a ruggedized, military/industrial grade device capable of functioning normally in harsh environments and in adverse weather conditions. The Vendor must describe whether its product is intrinsically safe in a potentially explosive environment.

 

S-23       Equipment: Weight and Form Factor: The BWC proposed by the Vendor should not distract or hinder the officer wearing the device from performing other job functions, especially ones related to officer safety. Cameras must be designed for maximum usability and safety. The Vendor must specify the physical dimensions of the BWC (Camera, control unit and/or battery), along with the weight of the BWC unit.

S-24       Equipment:  Camera Mounting:  The BWC must be able to be mounted to the uniform using secure mounting options. The Vendor must fully specify varied mounting options provided, including a shirt clip and duty belt clip.

 

S-25       Equipment:  Device Management:  Vendors proposed systems must allow pushing configuration and firmware upgrades wirelessly to connected cameras and without any user intervention.

 

S-26       Equipment: Digital Channels:  The wireless recording system shall consist of individual channels to avoid multiple systems at the same incident recording on another system. The Vendor must specify the maximum number of channels supported by its solution.

 

S-27       Equipment:  Auto Stop:  The system must have a means of detecting when the system is inadvertently left in record mode. The system must allow an option to prompt the user or to automatically stop the recording.

 

S-28       Equipment:  Backseat Camera:  The back-seat camera must be a high-resolution color camera and must include the ability to record in total darkness with the aid of IR lights. Black & White cameras shall not be acceptable. The Vendor must specify the resolution(s) supported.

 

S-29       Equipment: Cables:  The system must include all cables necessary for a complete vehicle installation, including all power cables, all vehicle system input cables, etc.

 

S-30       Equipment: Cabin Microphone:  Each system must include an internal cabin microphone that will record on a separate audio channel from the wireless microphone system when activated. This microphone must be amplified in order to clearly pick-up even the faintest of conversations. The Vendor must specify whether the microphone is wired (and extendable to an optimal location for any type of vehicle) or wireless.

 

S-31       Equipment: In-car Camera Controls:  The vendor must specify camera control features, such as front zoom, backlit controls, auto-zoom, zoom in, zoom out, auto-focus, focus far, and focus near. All camera controls must also be accessible using the system's touch screen control panel with the addition of the following controls: backlight compensation and night view mode.

 

S-32       Equipment: Charging/Synchronization Base:  Each wireless microphone shall include a single in-car charging/ docking base or cable to charge the microphone system.  The Base or cable must also have LED indicators for "charging" state and "in-use" state. If docking is required for synchronizing the wireless microphone and in-car video system, systems with separate charging and synchronizing bases will not be acceptable as this will increase the amount of equipment that needs to be installed in the vehicles.

 

S-33       Equipment:  Crash Detection:  The vendor must specify any crash detection features, such as a solid-state crash detection sensor that is adjustable to different G Force impact levels. Settings must be provided to allow the agency to choose an appropriate crash sensor sensitivity level in order to minimize false crash detections.

 

S-34       Equipment:  Disk Usage Meter and Low Disk Warning:  If the vendor-proposed solution includes the storing of video recordings on a DVR/Hard Disk, it must also provide an on-screen Disk Usage Meter that graphically shows the user how much video is currently on the DVR/Hard Disk along with how much space remains. Additionally, the system must have audible and visual warnings when the drive is nearing its capacity.

 

S-35       Equipment: LED Indicators for Audio. Video and Record:  To ensure Officer awareness, the system must have LED indicators showing record, microphone, and camera activity.

 

S-36       Equipment:  Multiple Camera Support:  If the agency opts for multiple cameras, the vendor’s proposed In-Car system must support a minimum of three (3) cameras. The Vendor must specify the maximum number of cameras supported by its in-car solution. Users must be able to activate all the cameras to record simultaneously through the system's graphical menu. All cameras selected must have the ability of being displayed on the system’s display simultaneously while also providing the user with the ability to isolate any one of the camera images without disrupting the recording of the other cameras. LED indicators for each camera/video stream shall be present and illuminate when its corresponding camera/video stream is active.

 

S-37       Equipment: Saved Officer Setting:  The Vendor must describe how its system stores and saves user preference settings such as LCD Screen Brightness, LED Indicator Brightness, Volume, and Front Camera Auto-Zoom. These settings shall be saved so that when the user logs back in, his/her settings are restored.

 

S-38       Equipment: Separate Audio Channels:  In order to isolate the audio during playback between the wireless microphone(s) and the cabin microphone using a standard left/right stereo fader control, the vendor must specify audio recording system features to record the audio tracks separately.  All microphones must be recorded on separate channels.

 

S-39       Equipment:  System Power-Up Behavior Controls:  The system power-up behavior must be configurable to allow a supervisor to independently set the system to manually or automatically turn on or off with the vehicle.

 

S-40       Equipment: Ultra-wide Dynamic Range Camera:  The vendor must specify the features in its front cameras that utilize dual exposure technology to create an optimally exposed image under all lighting conditions and that eliminate any need for a manual backlight compensation mode for backlighted conditions (i.e., dusk or dawn).

 

DATA STANDARDS

S-41       Data:  Data Transfer:  The Vendor must describe, in detail, the method(s) its systems use to transfer data from the camera to the backend system. The Vendor must describe wireless or Bluetooth capabilities. and must also describe the ability to communicate with MDC systems.

BWCs must support the ability to be connected to a base and have the video upload begin automatically without requiring any further actions by the user. Additionally, if the BWC is powered off or if the battery is dead, the base must power it on and automatically initiate the upload process.

The system must automatically transfer video the moment the vehicle is in range of the wireless network or connected to the wired network. The user must not be required to initiate the transfer.

 

S-41       Data: Data Redaction:  The video management system must have audio and video redaction capabilities. The Vendor must fully describe the redaction features and capabilities.

 

S-42       Data: Storage and Sharing:  The vendor must provide a cloud-hosted solution for video storage and management.  The agency must be able to control which e-mail addresses and or domains are allowed to be sent links to shares, how long the shares are available, and the type and security of the share. The agency must be able to remove the share at any time.  All information stored in the Cloud must be stored in a “government cloud” or “government region” within a secure data center. Additionally, the audit log for the video should maintain an audit trail for the video when it is exported to the Cloud and when it is viewed or downloaded.

 

S-43       Data: Video Trimming:  The Vendor solution must support the ability to trim video for the purpose of removing part of the video file by trimming the beginning and/or end portions of the event. The trimmed file must be saved as a new file in order to preserve the original file.

 

S-44       Data: No Deleting or Overwriting Video Shall be Possible:  To guarantee data security and integrity, the system must ensure that the user cannot delete, edit, or erase original videos from any device.

 

MANAGEMENT

S-45       Management: Security-Video Review Access Permissions:  Officers must be able to review their own video. However, with Supervisor or Administrator privileges (configurable), the user should be able to search and review all video on the cloud storage.

 

S-46       Management: Security-Supervisor Controls:  The system must provide the ability to restrict access to all settings by way of supervisor passwords. Multiple supervisor passwords must be supported.

 

S-47       Management: Camera Assignments:  A simple method for assigning a camera to an officer is required.

 

BEST PRACTICES

BP-1       Data: Data Retention:  Vendor must provide for agency consideration, the cost of retaining data on the cloud storage for (1) 18 months (2) 36 months.

Vendor must provide agency with the ability to mark video and related data for cloud storage beyond the   retention period.

BP-2       Data: File Conversion Options:  The Vendor must specify the ability of its system to convert the native video files into other formats such as MP4, AVI, WMV, etc.

 

BP-3       Management: Video:  The Vendor must describe, in detail, its video management solution, including all licensing schemes and software features. Video management solutions must include searching, event marking, categorization, editing, and redacting capabilities. The Vendor must also describe, in detail, how its system ensures chain-of-custody requirements.

 

BP-4       Management: Video Dissemination:  The vendor must fully describe features/options that will allow the agency to easily disseminate the video. The solution must include tracking/logging and audit capabilities associated with dissemination (e.g., date, time, sender’s username, receiving agency, user information, etc.)

 

BP-5       Management:  Reporting:  The vendor must fully describe its system features/capabilities for reporting on BWC and/or In-car usage (aggregate level, by location/barrack, by troopers, event categorization etc.)

 

4. Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Subcommittee was scheduled for Monday January 10^th at 9:00 AM.

 

Adjournment

 

Upon motion made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 10:25.