Sworn officers of the Vanderbilt University Police Department will now be wearing body-worn cameras while on duty. This is an industry best practice and will provide accurate reflections of university police officers’ interactions with Vanderbilt community members and others on campus.
Body-worn cameras are small, portable devices that attach to an officer’s uniform to record audio and video of all interactions an officer has with the community. Benefits of body-worn cameras include expediting resolutions of complaints, providing opportunities for training and instruction, and increasing the community’s trust in police transparency and accountability.
“As an institution committed to the safety and well-being of our community, Vanderbilt University recognizes the importance of adopting best practices in policing,” said Darren Reisberg, vice chancellor for administration. “The implementation of body-worn cameras will further support our efforts to promote a safe, secure and welcoming environment for all members of our community.”
VUPD has approximately 90 full-time, sworn law enforcement officers, who are trained and certified by the state of Tennessee and are commissioned by the Metro Nashville Police Department. Every sworn officer will be issued a body-worn camera. Once an officer is issued and trained on a body-worn camera, the officer will be required to activate a body-worn camera while engaged in investigative or law enforcement activity involving a member of the campus community or the general public. The extensive training on proper body-worn camera usage is in addition to the annual training that officers receive on use of force, de-escalation techniques and bias-based profiling.
“We regularly review our protocols and procedures to ensure we are meeting the safety and security needs of the Vanderbilt community as much as possible,” said August Washington, senior associate vice chancellor and chief of police. “The adoption of body-worn cameras is a significant progression in our continued focus on community-oriented policing and service.”
The decision to launch the program at the end of the academic year was made to allow for a thoughtful and well-coordinated rollout during a time of lower campus activity. This timing enables officers to be fully trained and equipped before the start of the fall semester, minimizing disruption and ensuring the program is firmly in place as students return.
For more information about body-worn camera use at Vanderbilt, visit VUPD’s website.
