The mecklenburg county sheriffs office (mcso) is constantly searching for new and progressive ways to move law enforcement forward to benefit the community, detention center residents, and officers

The Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) in Charlotte, North Carolina was awarded a $125,000 federal Project Grant under the Body Worn Camera Policy and Implementation program (CFDA 16.835) from the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance. The grant supports the MCSO's initiative to issue 85 body-worn cameras (BWCs) to detention officers across 40 housing units in the Mecklenburg County Detention Center-Central. Key project activities include engaging stakeholders, developing implementation and communication plans, evaluating BWC vendors, updating policies and procedures, and enhancing officer training. Expected outcomes include increased safety for detention officers and residents, improved incident investigation and case adjudication through BWC footage, and strengthened law enforcement-community relations by promoting transparency and accountability.

Mcso proposes implementing bwcs in a correctional setting by issuing 85 bwcs to detention officers assigned to each of the 40 housing units within mecklenburg county detention center-central (mcdcc). The proposed initiative aims to increase officer and detention center resident safety and promote increased transparency, accountability, and officer training. Project activities include engaging officers, stakeholders, and the community for feedback to gain broad support for the program, as well as developing project implementation and communication plans that will define and direct project activities. Before procurement, the mcso will evaluate vendors to ensure compatibility within a detention setting. The agency will enhance existing BWC policies and procedures to align with detention operations, as well as work with the mcso training academy and the project TTA provider to prepare and build practical training modules and enhance existing training. Expected outcomes of this proposal include increased safety for detention center residents and officers by decreasing the number of uses of force incidents and complaints. The agency also looks to enhance the adjudication of internal investigations and legal cases by utilizing BWC footage. BWC footage will improve pre- and post-academy officer training, providing post-event learning opportunities and enhancing DE-escalation training. The proposed initiative also seeks to strengthen officer performance and detention center resident behavior by promoting transparency and accountability. The proposed initiative will directly benefit the detention officers and detention center residents they serve, providing a safer community for the citizens of mecklenburg county and surrounding areas. Studies have shown that the presence of bwcs increases professionalism and reduces resident complaints because both parties know they are being recorded and are accountable for their actions, causing those near bwcs to think before they react. The proposed initiative strives to increase law enforcement-community relations by providing the community with additional education on the role of the detention officer and promoting transparency and accountability.