Harford County Launches Dedicated Body Camera Unit To Comply With Maryland Police Accountability Act

HARFORD COUNTY - Harford County introduced its first Body Worn Camera Unit this week to comply with the requirements of the Maryland Police Accountability Act.

The state legislation, signed in 2021, mandates all on-duty law enforcement officers to equip and utilize body-worn cameras to record their engagements.

The new unit comprises one supervisor and six technicians specialized in handling body-worn camera footage. These technicians are tasked with reviewing, redacting, and forwarding all camera footage associated with criminal and traffic cases to the Harford County Office of the State's Attorney. Each technician is required to process at least 2,000 minutes of footage weekly.

Before establishing this unit, the responsibility of reviewing and redacting the footage fell upon the Harford County State's Attorney's Office members, often outside their regular working hours.

Alison M. Healey, the current Harford County State's Attorney, indicated that previously, the county was not entirely in compliance with the body-worn camera law, resulting in the distribution of unreviewed and non-redacted footage.

"Our team's commitment to our mission has never been clearer, and the past six months have truly highlighted the dedication of our staff in seeking justice for the people of Harford County. We're truly fortunate to have such a devoted team," Healey said.

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