Police Commission reviews draft body-worn camera policy amid debate over officer review and retention

The San Francisco Police Commission heard a presentation Sept. 2 on a draft body-worn camera policy produced by a six-meeting working group that included SFPD command staff, the Office of Citizen Complaints (OCC), the Public Defender—s Office, police employee groups and community representatives. Commander Robert Mosier, co-chair of the group, said the draft reflects months of public meetings and model policies and was unanimously approved by group members to be forwarded to the Commission for deliberation.

Why it matters: The policy will govern when officers must activate cameras, when recordings may be terminated, who may view footage and how long routine recordings are retained. Those rules will affect investigations, transparency to the public and officers— day-to-day reporting.

The working group—s process and scope were defended by Mosier and Director Joyce Hicks of the OCC, who said meetings and drafts were posted online and open to public comment. Mosier said the group met six times over the summer and considered…