San Francisco Police Commission hearing spotlights split on officer review of body‑worn video

San Francisco — The San Francisco Police Commission brought its draft body‑worn camera policy to the Northern District on Sept. 16, 2015, where a working‑group presentation and lengthy public comment highlighted two areas without consensus: whether officers may review footage before writing reports or giving statements in certain investigations, and how long video files should be retained.

Commission President Susie Loftus opened the special neighborhood meeting by saying the commission asked the department to assemble a diverse working group to produce a policy for review. Commander Bob Moser, co‑chair of the working group, said members met publicly over several months, reviewed model policies and research (including policies from Oakland, LAPD, BART, San Diego and DOJ/PERF guidance), and forwarded a draft dated Aug. 11, 2015, to the commission.

Moser said the group agreed that officers should not be required to record every minute of their shift but should activate cameras for clearly defined events. Two topics, he said, spanned multiple meetings and produced competing viewpoints: whether officers should be allowed to view footage before preparing reports or being interviewed, and the length of retention for stored footage…