Use of Body Worn Video

The request was successful.

Dear Lancaster City Council,

I am writing to make an open government request for all the
information to which I am entitled under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000.

Please send me:

The details of your use of body cameras in your organisation –

Does anyone (staff or contractors) in your organisation use/wear body cameras or body worn video recording devices while performing their duties?
If yes, please detail:
Who provides the body cameras and footage/evidence management used by your organisation?
How many staff members use body cameras and what capacities/teams do they work in? Are they staff or contractors (for e.g. outsourced security personnel)
How many body cameras in all are currently owned and/or used by your organisation?
Were the cameras bought as a one off purchase and if so, how much did they cost your organisation?
If they are part of an ongoing contract - what is the current contract term (how long is it and when does it expire) and what is the value of said contract?
Where is the data recorded stored – on premises locally or on cloud?
Who is the point of contact for your body camera programme?

I would like the above information to be provided to me via email.

If this request is too wide or unclear, I would be grateful if you
could contact me as I understand that under the Act, you are
required to advise and assist requesters. If any of this
information is already in the public domain, please can you direct
me to it, with page references and URLs if necessary.

If the release of any of this information is prohibited on the
grounds of breach of confidence, I ask that you supply me with
copies of the confidentiality agreement and remind you that
information should not be treated as confidential if such an
agreement has not been signed.

I understand that you are required to respond to my request within
the 20 working days after you receive this letter.

I would be grateful if you could confirm that you have received
this request, preferably via email.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Lucy Johnson

info, Lancaster City Council

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Johnson,

I write to confirm receipt of your request for information, which was
received on 5th January 2018 and is now being processed under the Freedom
of Information Act 2000. Your request has been given the unique reference
number as stated in the subject header above and you should quote this
reference number in all correspondence. You should receive our response
within 20 working days; this means that you can expect to receive the
requested information by 2nd February 2018. If we are unable to deal with
your request within that time limit or the Council does not hold the
information or there is a reason for it to be withheld, we will promptly
advise you in writing.

If you have any queries or concerns then please do not hesitate to contact
me. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.

Kind regards,

 

Clay Garland

Information Governance Officer

Governance

Lancaster City Council

Town Hall, Dalton Square, LA1 1PJ

(: (01524) 582204

8: [1][email address]

 

 

[2]www.lancaster.gov.uk

 

 

References

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1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.lancaster.gov.uk/

info, Lancaster City Council

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Johnson,

Freedom of Information Request - Ref: FOI 1427

Thank you for your request received on 5th January 2018 in which you asked
for the following information from the City Council:

 

Does anyone (staff or contractors) in your organisation use/wear body
cameras or body worn video recording devices while performing their
duties? If yes, please detail:

a.    Who provides the body cameras and footage/evidence management used
by your organisation?

b.    How many staff members use body cameras and what capacities/teams do
they work in? Are they staff or contractors (for e.g. outsourced security
personnel)

c.    How many body cameras in all are currently owned and/or used by your
organisation?

d.    Were the cameras bought as a one off purchase and if so, how much
did they cost your organisation?

e.    If they are part of an ongoing contract - what is the current
contract term (how long is it and when does it expire) and what is the
value of said contract?

f.      Where is the data recorded stored – on premises locally or on
cloud?

g.    Who is the point of contact for your body camera programme?

 

Your request has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(FOIA).

 

Response

 

There are two departments within the Council that make use of footage from
Body Worn Cameras. I have answered your questions separately for each
department.

 

Public Protection (Environmental Health & Anti-Social Behaviour teams):

a)    The cameras and evidence are handled in-house.

b)    Up to 30 staff may need to use them in their duties, but they are
primarily used by 4 Anti-Social Behaviour Officers, 2 Environmental
Enforcement Officers, and 2 Dog Wardens.

c)    6.

d)    One off purchase - £4,000.

e)    N/A.

f)     On the cloud.

g)    Lead ASB officer.

 

Car Parks:

a)    Provided as part of the contract with Lancashire County Council for
parking enforcement. Cameras and evidence managed by NSL – sub-contractor
to the County Council.

b)    Enforcement contractor has up to eight members of staff in the
Lancaster district, each with a camera.

c)    None owned/used by Lancaster City Council staff.

d)    Provided as part of a contract.

e)    The Parking Enforcement Contract expires in Sept 2019 with an option
to extend for a further 3 years.

f)     On the cloud.

g)    Lancashire County Council.

 

 

If you have any queries or concerns about this response, please contact
this office. For details of how to appeal a decision we have made, see
below.

 

 

How to Appeal

 

Internal Review

If you are not satisfied with this response, you have the right to an
internal review.  The handling of your request will be looked at by
someone who was not responsible for the original case, and they will make
a decision as to whether we answered your request correctly.

 

If you would like to request a review, please write or send an email to
the Council at the following address:

 

Information Governance

Lancaster City Council

Town Hall

Dalton Square

Lancaster

LA1 1PJ

 

Email:  [1][Lancaster City Council request email]

 

Information Commissioner’s Office

 

If you remain dissatisfied after an internal review decision, you have the
right to apply to the Information Commissioner’s Office.  The Commissioner
is an independent regulator who has the power to direct us to respond to
your request differently if he considers that we have handled it
incorrectly.

 

You can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at the following
address:

 

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

 

Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 if you prefer to use a
national rate number

Website:  [2]https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/

 

 

Re-use of Public-Sector Information

 

Some of the information that we provide in response to FOIA requests will
be subject to copyright protection. In most cases the copyright will be
owned by Lancaster City Council. The copyright in other information may be
owned by another person or organisation, as indicated on the information
itself.

 

You are free to use any information supplied for your own non-commercial
research or private study purposes. The information may also be used for
any other purpose allowed by a limitation or exception in copyright law,
such as news reporting. However, any other type of re-use, for example by
publishing the information in analogue or digital form, including on the
internet, will require the permission of the copyright owner.

 

For information where the copyright is owned by Lancaster City Council,
please contact this office if you would like to request permission.

 

For information where the copyright is owned by another person or
organisation you must apply to the copyright owner to obtain their
permission.

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

Clay Garland

Information Governance Officer

Governance

Lancaster City Council

Town Hall, Dalton Square, LA1 1PJ

(: (01524) 582204

8: [3][email address]

 

 

[4]www.lancaster.gov.uk

 

 

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