Medford Police present first full-year body‑worn camera report; audits flag training and process gaps

The Medford Police Department on May 7 told the City of Medford Public Health and Community Safety Committee that its first full year of body‑worn camera (BWC) operation produced more than 31,000 video files and “is accomplishing all of the…objectives” the department set for the program.

Chief Buckley, who presented the 2024 annual surveillance report, said officers produced roughly 31,326 videos in 2024; about 1,803 of those were related to arrests, and 342 files were provided to the district attorney’s office as part of criminal discovery. The department logged 32 public‑records requests related to BWC footage in 2024; the chief said four requests were legally withheld because they involved domestic‑violence cases.

But the department’s internal audits also identified patterns it plans to address. Lieutenant Pat Duffy and Officer Frank Casarino—who run the BWC unit and conduct audits—told the committee the most frequent problems are human‑behavior issues: officers forgetting to take or turn on cameras during a shift, and failing to tell people they are being recorded. "In aggregate in 1 in 3 cases, the officer did not advise all of the residents in their…