CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA
                CITY COUNCIL AGENDA




 Agenda Date:          June 21, 2021

 Actions Required:     Appropriation of Funding

 Presenter:            Holly Bittle, Budget Analyst, Charlottesville Police Department

 Staff Contacts:       RaShall Brackney, Chief, Charlottesville Police Department
                       Holly Bittle, Budget Analyst, Charlottesville Police Department

 Title:                FY21 Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services Body-Worn
                       Camera Grant - $100,000


Background:

The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) has awarded the City of
Charlottesville, through the Police Department, a one-time Body-Worn Camera Grant for the
purchase, operation, and maintenance of body-worn camera systems for law enforcement agencies.
The 2020 Virginia General Assembly’s enactment of Virginia Code Section 15.2-1723.1 defines a
body-worn camera system as “an electronic system for creating, generating, sending, receiving,
storing and processing audiovisual recordings, including cameras or other devices capable of
creating such recording, that may be worn about the person.”

Shortly after the global pandemic shutdown all non-essential operations in early 2020, the nation
faced a second state of emergency in the form of civil unrest related to racial and social injustices.
In light of these events body-worn cameras have become even more important as they enable police
officers to record events and citizen interactions exactly as they occur and provide an impartial
account to law enforcement officials and the public alike.

Discussion:

Under the Code of Virginia § 42.1-85, the Library of Virginia (LVA) has the authority to issue
regulations governing the retention and disposition of state and local public records. In keeping with
the Code's mandate, LVA has developed records retention and disposition schedules outlining the
disposition of public records. Data storage of records, surveillance and monitoring retained as
evidence by law enforcement are required by the LVA to be retained for periods ranging from 5 to
100 years.

As outlined in Charlottesville Police Department General Order (GO) 541.10 – Mobile Recording
Systems Rev: 10/09/2019, once a recording is made, no officer shall edit, alter, delete or erase the
recording or any portion of the recording and the original recording shall be retained, as made, for
the duration of the applicable record retention schedule.

The FY21 DCJS Body-Worn Camera Grant award will allow Charlottesville Police Department to
purchase 12 months of data licensing fees to help the department comply with the Library of
Virginia records retention and disposition schedules.

Alignment with City Council’s Vision and Strategic Plan:

This project supports Goal 2 of the Strategic Plan, to be a Healthy and Safe City.

Community Engagement:

N/A

Budgetary Impact:

This has no additional impact on the General Fund. The required local match of $50,000 will come
from funds previously appropriated as part of the Charlottesville Police Department’s FY 2021
adopted budget. The local match will pay for 12 months of standard data licensing fees for up to 75
officer accounts. Grant funds will be used to pay for 12 months of unlimited storage licenses for 25
Command and Supervisory staff accounts.

The grant funds will be expensed and reimbursed to a Grants Fund.

Recommendation:

Staff recommends approval and appropriation of grant funds.

Alternatives:

If grants funds are not appropriated, additional City funds will be required to keep the police
department into compliance with the Library of Virginia retention schedule for the storage of
records, surveillance and monitoring retained as evidence.

Attachments:

Resolution Appropriating Funding
                  RESOLUTION APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR
   FY21 Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services Body-Worn Camera Grant
                                     $100,000
        WHEREAS, the FY21Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services Body-Worn
Camera Grant awarded a grant to the Police Department, through the City of Charlottesville, to
fund storage of body-worn camera records from the Police Department;

       NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the Council of the City of Charlottesville,
Virginia, that the sum of $50,000, received from the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of
Criminal Justice Services Body-Worn Camera Grant and the local match of $50,000 is hereby
appropriated in the following manner:

Revenues – $100,000

$50,000       Fund: 209              IO: 190416            G/L Account: 430120
$50,000       Fund: 209              IO: 190416            G/L Account: 498010

Expenditures – $100,000

$100,000      Fund: 209              IO: 190416            G/L Account: 530060

Transfer – $50,000

$50,000               Fund: 105      Cost Center: 3101001000      G/L Account: 530060

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this appropriation is conditioned upon the reimbursement
of funds or goods as supplied from the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Criminal
Justice Services Body-Worn Camera Grant.