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2019 Session

Budget Amendments - SB1100 (Floor Approved)

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Commonwealth's Attorneys - Body-Worn Cameras (language only)

Item 73 #1s

Item 73 #1s

Administration
Compensation Board

Language

Page 70, after line 13, insert:

"X.1. Any locality in the Commonwealth that employs the use of body worn cameras for its law enforcement officers shall be required to establish and fund one full-time equivalent entry-level Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney, at a salary no less than that established by the Compensation Board for an entry-level Commonwealth's Attorney, at a rate of one Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney for up to 75 body worn cameras employed for use by local law enforcement officers, and one Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney for every 75 body worn cameras employed for use by local law enforcement officers, thereafter. However, with the consent of the Commonwealth's Attorney, a locality may provide their Commonwealth's Attorney's office with additional funding, using a different formula than stated above, as needed to accommodate the additional workload resulting from the requirement to review, redact and present footage from body worn cameras. If, as of July 1, 2019, a locality is providing additional funding to the Commonwealth's Attorney's office specifically to address the staffing and workload impact of the implementation of body worn cameras on that office, that additional funding shall be credited to the formula used in that locality. Any agreed upon funding formula between the impacted Commonwealth's Attorney and the locality employing body worn cameras shall be filed with the Compensation Board by July 1, 2019 and shall remain in effect, unless modified by the agreement of both parties until June 30th of the following year. The term "locality" means every county or independent city with an Attorney for the Commonwealth. The term "employed for use" includes all body worn cameras maintained by the law enforcement agency or agencies of that locality, regardless of any temporary inoperability.

2. Additionally, the working group convened by the Executive Secretary of the Compensation Board pursuant to Chapter 2, Item 72, U (2018 Special Session Acts of Assembly) shall be maintained to continue to study the impact of body worn cameras on the workload of Commonwealth's Attorney's offices, providing an additional report to the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees by December 1, 2020.  During this timeframe, each Commonwealth's Attorney's office in a locality that employs body worn cameras, in conjunction with the law enforcement agency using body worn cameras, shall report to the Compensation Board the following information on a quarterly basis, in a format prescribed by the Board:

a. The number of hours of body worn camera video footage received from their law enforcement agencies. The number of hours should additionally be broken down into corresponding categories of felonies, misdemeanors and traffic offenses. Any recorded event that results in charges for two or more of the above  categories shall be reported in the most serious category;

b. The number of hours spent in the course of redacting videos; and

c. Any other data determined relevant and necessary by the Compensation Board for this analysis.

3. Should a Commonwealth's Attorney's office in a locality that employs body worn cameras fail to report to the Compensation Board the information above for two consecutive quarters, that locality may discontinue for the following fiscal year that additional funding to the Commonwealth's Attorney's office that is specifically to address the staffing and workload impact of the implementation of body worn cameras on that office.

4. The workgroup shall utilize the reported information to examine the staffing challenges and workload impact on Commonwealth's Attorney's offices of the implementation of body worn cameras over this added time and make any additional recommendations in the subsequent report, including but not limited to recommending a different staffing formula than stated above."




Explanation

(This amendment establishes guidelines for staffing requirements for Commonwealth's Attorney's offices to hire one Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney for every 75 body worn cameras employed by local law enforcement officers.)