Norfolk County Sheriff Named to Body Camera Taskforce

Thanks to the Norfolk County Sheriff's Office for contributing the following article to Westwood Minute.

DEDHAM – Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott announced at the end of September 2021 that he has been appointed to represent the Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association on the Commonwealth’s Law Enforcement Body Camera Taskforce. The taskforce was created as part of the Police Reform Act that was signed into law by Governor Baker in December 2020.

Sheriff McDermott said that the taskforce was an important step in building strong relationships between law enforcement and the public. “It is imperative that we recognize the importance of the public’s trust in law enforcement and continue to develop positive relationships between law enforcement and the communities we serve,” he said. “I look forward to working alongside the other members of the taskforce to ensure that body-worn cameras can be used in a way that helps officers in their mission to serve and protect the public.”

The Law Enforcement Body Camera Taskforce is charged with developing a set of recommended regulations related to the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement professionals by July 31, 2022. These regulations will cover, among other topics, issues of privacy and facial-recognition technology, requirements for when body-worn cameras must be activated, and the storage and handling of body-worn camera recordings.

The taskforce is comprised of 25 members made up of representatives from government agencies, legislators, law enforcement associations, and public advocacy groups. As the taskforce representative for the Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association, Sheriff McDermott represents the interests of the Commonwealth’s fourteen county sheriffs. Sheriff McDermott was appointed to the taskforce by MSA President and Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins.