San Francisco Park Police officers to adopt body cameras this week

The United States Park Police’s (USPP) San Francisco Field Office will be the first in the department to adopt body cameras this week, with the rest of the rank and file to follow by year’s end, USPP Chief Pamela Smith announced Thursday.

Smith said in a statement that all officers assigned to the San Francisco office will be equipped with the cameras by May 23, and that all public-facing officers ranked captain or higher will be equipped with them by the end of the calendar year. The San Francisco office comprises 41 officers and was selected due to its status as the Park Police’s smallest office, according to NBC Bay Area.

“Today, I’m proud to follow up on my commitment to implement a body worn camera program within my first 90 days as Chief of Police,” Smith said in a statement. “This body worn camera program will aim to enhance our public transparency in law enforcement for community contact, provide objective evidence and document our officers actions while performing their duties.”

Smith, the first African American woman to serve as chief of the Park Police, announced body cameras would be rolled out soon after she began as USPP chief in February. The announcement followed months of nationwide protests over police brutality following the killing of George Floyd in May 2020. It also came after several incidents in which the Park Police came under heavy scrutiny, including a 2017 shooting death and the 2020 clearing of protesters from Lafayette Square.

“Body-worn cameras are good for the public and good for our officers, which is why I am prioritizing implementing a body-worn camera program within my first 90 days,” Smith said in a statement in February. “This is one of the many steps we must take to continue to build trust and credibility with the public we have been entrusted to serve.”