Mobile Audio/Video Recording

Policy: Mobile Audio/Video Recording (MAV)

Author: Chief Joseph M. Hallman

WILEAG Standard: 6.1.10

Issue Date: October 31, 2012 

Reviewed Date: March 27, 2026

Revised Date: March 27, 2026

 

Purpose:

The University Police Department has equipped selected vehicles with a digital in-car video/audio recording system and officers with Body Worn Cameras.  Together, these units make up the Mobile Audio/Video recording system, or MAV.  The MAV is designed to assist and compliment officers in the performance of their duties.  The MAV is used to record certain duty related activities, thereby creating a visual and/or audio record of the incident as a supplement to the officer’s report.

The UW-Platteville Police Department has adopted the use MAV devices in order to accomplish the following objectives:

  1. Accurate documentation of events, actions, conditions, and statements made during arrests and critical incidents so as to enhance officer reports, collection of evidence and testimony in court.
  2. The enhancement of the Department’s ability to review probable cause for arrest, arrest procedures, officer/suspect interaction, evidence for investigative purposes, as well as officer evaluation and training.
  3. Protect officers from false allegations of improper police conduct.
  4. The UW-Platteville Police Department recognizes that cameras can’t always capture everything that is seen by the officer or that happens at a scene, but can act as a tool to help explain an event.  Sometimes the cameras are unintentionally obstructed, on a fixed mount, or may not have enough frames per second to capture what the human eye saw or perceived.

It is the purpose of this policy to provide officers with guidelines for the use of MAV recording devices, authorized by this department.  This policy shall adhere to the requirements set forth in Wis. Stat.§165.87.  This policy is not intended to describe every possible situation where these systems may be used, however, there are many situations where the use of these MAV devices are recommended. (6.1.10)

Policy:

Whenever an officer has time and reason to believe that a contact has an enforcement nature, or believes it is in the best interest of the UW-Platteville Police Department, the contact should be recorded.  (An officer shall not jeopardize their safety or the safety of the public in order to activate a camera system).

 

UW-Platteville Police Officers assigned to a vehicle with a digital in-car video/audio recording system (DICVS) will make every effort to use it to document traffic stops, pursuits, vehicle searches and investigative citizen contacts when occurring within camera range. If reasonable to do so, he/she will record his/her approach to crime scenes and any scene they feel could benefit from being recorded. If practical, the camera will be activated to record infractions, i.e., the justification for traffic stops. Officers may supplement the video recording with an audio description of the event and describe any external factors that may not have been recorded, e.g., prior observations, road conditions, contributing circumstances.

All sworn officers working in a patrol capacity will wear and have turned on a department issued body worn camera at all times unless unavailable or malfunctioning.  (6.1.10.2)  Training on both body worn and vehicle mounted cameras will be provided to officers during Phase 1 of their Field Training Program.  If and when new equipment is purchased, training will be provided to all officers before equipment is implemented for duty use. (6.1.10.8)  

Definitions:

  1. Body Worn Camera- the University Police Department authorizes the use of the Digital Ally FirstVu Pro body camera as its primary body worn camera system.
  2. DICVS- digital in-car video/audio recording system.  Digital Ally EVO is the DICVS installed in UW-Platteville Police Department primary squads.
  3. Pre-Event Recording- the DICVS system will retain the video recording made prior to a trigger event, up to 60 seconds, depending on system settings. Audio is not recorded until the trigger event occurs.
  4. Recorded Media- refers to audio-video signals recorded on any of several storage devices, including analog tape (VHS, SVHS, Hi 8mm), digital tape (DV), or other portable digital storage devices (CD, DVD, hard drive, flash memory, etc.).
  5. Trigger Event- an event that causes the DICVS to begin saving video/audio recordings. Events include activation of the following: emergency lights/siren, vehicle speed exceeds preset threshold setting, and manual activation of the DICVS system. The recording ends when the officer presses the stop button, and the trigger event is no longer active.
  6. Video Camera- digital video camera with on-screen menu controls.
  7. Wireless Microphone- the wireless microphone's audio channel for the DICVS is integrated with the body worn camera, providing both audio for the body worn camera video and for the DICVS system.

Procedures: (6.1.10.1)

  1. Digital In-Car Video/Audio Recording System
    1. The Chief of Police or his/her designee shall authorize UW-Platteville Police vehicles to be equipped with digital in-car video/audio recording system (DICVS). A DICVS shall consist of a forward-facing camera, rear-facing camera, control panel, rear seat microphone, digital recorder/CPU, and data transfer components.
    2. When beginning tours of duty, officers operating departmental vehicles equipped with a DICVS shall ensure that the DICVS is working properly, and immediately report any problems or malfunctions to a supervisor.
    3. The supervisor will be notified of any problems with the DICVS by email, in writing, or in person.
    4. Operation of the DICVS
      1. In-car video recording is automatically initiated when:
        1. The officer presses the record button found on the control module.
        2. The officer initiates a trigger condition, defined by the administration, such as activating emergency lights, or at a specific rate of speed.
      2. Recorded video data will include events 60 seconds prior to the event that trigged the recording.  Audio will not be available for those pre-event 60 seconds.
      3. Whenever an officer has time and reason to believe that a contact has an enforcement nature, or believes it is in the best interest of the University Police Department, the contact should be recorded.  (An officer shall not jeopardize his/her safety or the safety of the pubic in order to activate a camera system).  In general, contacts of an enforcement nature include, but are not limited to:
        1. Arrests or where Citations will be issued
        2. Traffic Stops & Accidents
        3. Pursuits
        4. Emergency Response & Medical Calls
        5. Criminal Investigations
        6. Prisoner Transport
        7. Mutual Aid Requests
        8. Contact with citizens as needed
      4. Officers shall make every reasonable effort to use the DICVS to accurately capture events by:
        1. Selecting the appropriate camera to record events, (i.e., forward camera or rear seat camera).
        2. Reasonably positioning the camera to record events, (e.g., OWI field sobriety tests, etc.).
      5. Officers may elect not to audio record conversations between law enforcement personnel when such discussions involve strategy, tactics or supervisors’ directives.
      6. Once initiated, video and audio recording should not be terminated until the event is complete with the following exceptions:
        1. Supervisors may order an employee to stop recording.
        2. Officers may stop recording if there is no evidentiary value in collecting further data.
      7. At no time should officers disregard officer safety or the safety of the public for the purpose of being in a position for recording.

  1. Body Worn Camera- All sworn officers on patrol will wear a department issued body worn camera at all times unless unavailable or malfunctioning.  A body worn camera shall consist of a forward-facing camera, equipped to record both audio and video, and internal storage to save the recording to.
    1. When beginning tours of duty, officers operating a body worn camera shall ensure:
      1. The body camera device is functional
      2. Verification the device has an adequate power supply/battery power.
      3. That the device is properly placed/ affixed for optimal use.
      4. At the end of shift, the body worn camera will be secured in the equipment room, battery placed in charger, and a new one installed in the unit, and the unit shut down, for the next officer. (6.1.10.1)
      5. The supervisor will be notified of any problems with a body worn camera and it is to be removed from service. (6.1.10.1)
    2.  Operation of the Body Worn Camera
      1. The body worn camera will begin a recording using two methods.
        1. The officer presses the record button found on the camera exterior.
        2. The officer initiates a trigger condition, defined by the administration, such as activating emergency lights, or at a specific rate of speed.
        3. Body Worn Cameras will not record a 60 second pre-event, like the DICVS, due to battery capacity issues.
      2. Whenever an officer has time and reason to believe that a contact has an enforcement nature, or believes it is in the best interest of the University Police Department, the contact should be recorded.  (An officer shall not jeopardize his/her safety or the safety of the pubic in order to activate a camera system).  In general, contacts of an enforcement nature include, but are not limited to: (6.1.10.4)
        1. Arrests or where Citations will be issued
        2. Traffic Stops & Accidents
        3. Pursuits
        4. Emergency Response & Medical Calls
        5. Criminal Investigations
        6. Prisoner Transport
        7. Mutual Aid Requests
        8. Contact with citizens as needed
      3. Officers may elect not to audio record conversations between law enforcement personnel when such discussions involve strategy, tactics or supervisors’ directives. (6.1.10.3)
      4. Once initiated, video and audio recording should not be terminated until the event is complete with the following exceptions: (6.1.10.4)
        1. Supervisors may order an employee to stop recording.
        2. Officers may stop recording if there is no evidentiary value in collecting further data.
      5. At no time should officers disregard officer safety or the safety of the public for the purpose of being in a position for recording.
  2. Data Tagging
    1. Audio/Video for both the DIVCS and Body Worn Camera need to be tagged with the appropriate incident type.  This tag provides the system the appropriate retention times and provides information to the administration as to the incident number of the case.
      1. Once the recording has stopped, a screen will pop up requesting for various pieces of information.  The three required fields that need to be completed are:
        1. Officer Name
        2. Event Tag (drop down selection)
          1. Categories
            1. Community Contact
            2. Criminal Arrest or Citations UWS18
            3. Criminal Investigation No Arrest
            4. First Responder
            5. Function Test or Accidental
            6. Investigation All Other
            7. Mutual Aid
            8. OWI
            9. Pursuit
            10. Save Indefinitely
            11. Traffic Accidents
            12. Traffic Stop Citation
            13. Traffic Stop Verbal
        3. Reference ID: Case # (e.g.  22-12345)
  3. Data Transfer (6.1.10.1)
    1. After an incident has ended, and the officer has tagged the recording, the DIVCS and Body Worn Camera will upload to the Digital Ally cloud storage automatically.  In order to ensure that the video is completely uploaded officers should not shut down any devices until the video appears on the cloud storage website, as “ready”.
    2. No employee shall attempt to erase, alter, or cause to be erased or altered, any, body worn camera or DICVS media. The only exception would be pursuant to the retention schedule below. 
    3. The Sergeant and/or Tech Officer are responsible for transferring the recording to the appropriate media (Digital, DVD, CD, etc.), when requested or needed.
  4. Data Management
    1. Video and audio recordings shall be safeguarded similar to other forms of evidence.
    2. Employees shall document within their official reports and uniform traffic citations that a video and/or audio recording was made during their law enforcement activities. This documentation shall include:
      1. Squad number
      2. Date and time of recording
      3. For video and audio recordings identified as criminal evidence, the following paragraph shall be inserted into the officers official typed report:
        1. “On (date and time) I was operating marked squad number (6##) which is equipped with an in-car data capture system.”
        2. “On (date and time) I was wearing Body Camera #.”
    3. The Sergeant and/or Tech Officer will also document, in a supplement, in the records management system any data transfer from the EVO Web cloud storage to any digital media or physical media (CD/DVD).  Documentation should include date and time transferred, and for what reason the files were exported from the EVO Web cloud storage.
  5. Data Retention & Storage (6.1.10.5)
    1. Evidentiary video and audio recordings submitted by officers, from both the DICVS and Body Worn Cameras will be maintained on the Digital Ally EVO Web server until it has reached its prescribed retention setting policy.
    2. The Sergeant and/or Tech Officer will be responsible for system administration of the EVO Web cloud storage, including retention policies, user rights, and authorized devices. (6.1.10.5)
    3. The Sergeant and Tech Officer will be provided the proper training within the vendor software in regards to the retention of data, redaction of data, and release of data in the event of a public records request. (6.1.10.9)
    4. The Sergeant or Tech Officer will also have the ability to edit/update information within the recorded video as to:(6.1.10.5)
      1. Officer that made the recording
      2. Event Tags
      3. Reference ID information
      4. Add Notes to the event details
    5. Retention Schedule by Event Tag (6.1.10.6)

Event Tag

Retention Period

Arrest or Citations UWS 18

730 Days or (1 year after court disposition)

 

 

Criminal Investigation

Decided on case-by-case basis. (180 days to Never Deleted)

Function Test/ Accidental Recording

2 Days

Medical Response

180 Days

Mutual Aid

180 Days

OWI

730 Days or (1 year after court disposition)

Pursuit

180 Days

Traffic Accidents

180 Days

Traffic Stop with Citation

730 Days or (1 year after court disposition)

Traffic Stop Verbal Warning

180 Days

  1. Disposition of evidentiary video and audio recordings will be completed in accordance with existing department policy for the handling and disposition of evidence.
  2. Data recordings that are the subject of a denied open records request must be maintained until the dispute between the department and those requesting the recordings are resolved.
  3. Digital copies for purposes not associated with the investigation or prosecution of a violation of law will only be made and/or created subject to one of the following: (6.1.10.5)
    1. Permission from the Chief of Police or his/her designee;
    2. Required by court order;
    3. An approved Open Records request.
  4. All MAV recordings are subject to Wisconsin Open Records Law.
  1. Video Sensitive in Nature (6.1.10.7)
    1. It shall be the policy of this Department to maintain the privacy of a record subject who is a victim of a sensitive or violent crime or who is a minor and that access to data from a body camera used on a law enforcement officer that record such a record subject shall be provided only if the public interest in allowing access is so great as to outweigh that public policy. In that case, the record subject's face and anything else that would allow the record subject to be identified may be redacted using pixelization or another method of redaction.  This process will be completed using the vendor specific tools for redacting images both photographs and in video recordings.

 

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