Some police departments require body cameras to stay on. Pierce County’s policy says deputies only “should.”
While many major law enforcement agencies, including the Seattle Police Department (SPD), require officers to keep their body cameras rolling once it’s activated, a policy designed to protect both suspects and officers, Pierce County’s current rules are far less strict.
Right now, Sheriff Keith Swank said in a Thursday press conference, Pierce County policy advised deputies “should” turn on their body-worn cameras, not “shall,” which he said he would prefer. Sheriff Keith Swank said that a single word makes all the difference.
Pierce County body camera policy inconsistencies
That policy gap is now under scrutiny after Pierce County Major Chad Dickerson was charged this week with two counts of vehicular assault in connection with a July crash that injured a family of six, including three children and a pregnant woman…