The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is a local law enforcement agency, and pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 626, as amended, a local law enforcement agency, before purchasing or implementing a portable recording "body camera" system, must accept public comments submitted electronically or by mail, and the governing body with jurisdiction over the budget of the law enforcement agency must provide for public comment at a regularly scheduled meeting. On August 15, 2017, the County Board held an initial public hearing in its Public Safety Committee. That hearing was recessed and pursuant to this Board Action Request will be reopened on September 12, 2017 to take additional comments on the implementation of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office portable recording system draft policy.

Also pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 626, a local law enforcement agency must establish and enforce a written policy governing its use, and, in developing and adopting the policy, the law enforcement agency must provide for public comment and input.

At a minimum, the written policy must incorporate the following:

(1) the requirements of section 13.825 and other data classification, access procedures, retention policies, and data security safeguards that, at a minimum, meet the requirements of chapter 13 and other applicable law

(2) procedures for testing the portable recording system to ensure adequate functioning

(3) procedures to address a system malfunction or failure, including requirements for documentation by the officer using the system at the time of malfunction or failure

(4) circumstances under which recording is mandatory, prohibited, or at the discretion of the officer using the system

(5) circumstances under which a data subject must be given notice of a recording

(6) circumstances under which a recording may be ended while an investigation, response, or incident is ongoing

(7) procedures for the secure storage of portable recording system data and the creation of backup copies of the data

(8) procedures to ensure compliance and address violations of the policy, which must include, at a minimum, supervisory or internal audits and reviews, and the employee discipline standards for unauthorized access to data contained in section 13.09

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office requested, and the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners approved, $80,000 in the 2017 operating budget for “Body Cameras”. Pursuant to this budget item, the Sheriff’s Office will be implementing a portable recording system. The “draft” written policy is attached to this Board Action Request for public review and comment and is available online at the county's website:  http://www.hennepin.us/your-government/leadership/county-board-meetings