The San Diego County Probation Department is rejecting a recommendation from the county grand jury to equip its juvenile detention officers with body-worn cameras.
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In its formal response to the volunteer board plan earlier this year, the Probation Department said body-worn cameras are not needed and it “wholly disagrees” with the jury finding that their absence is detrimental to effective operations.
“The Probation Department’s juvenile detention facilities feature comprehensive camera systems throughout,” the agency responded to the civilian oversight board report issued this past spring.
“While body-worn cameras are one of many tools available, there is currently no data the department is aware of to support their effectiveness in juvenile facility operations.”
The brush-back comes as the Probation Department faces an escalating number of sexual-abuse allegations from former wards of the county’s two juvenile detention facilities.
It also comes as the agency is the target of a civil-rights investigation opened last year by the California Attorney General’s Office.
Despite those challenges, Probation leaders said they are working to improve without the benefit of body-worn cameras, which the grand jury said would protect young people in custody and the officers who guard them.
“The Probation Department recently completed upgrades to the camera systems at the East Mesa Detention Facility, improving overall video quality and adding cameras to increase coverage and eliminate blind spots,” the response said.
Officials also said they have begun working with an ad hoc subcommittee created last year by county supervisors to improve Probation operations and reduce the use of pepper spray on youth who act out or are otherwise uncooperative.
The San Diego Union-Tribune and other news organizations have previously reported on the county’s frequent use of pepper spray — also known as O.C. spray, short for oleoresin capsicum, a chili pepper extract that serves as the active ingredient in the disarming tool.
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“The department has also embarked on a plan to reduce and eliminate the use of O.C. spray within our facilities, supported by a significant training program to prepare our personnel and further strengthen the use of de-escalation strategies,” they said.
Use of the irritant has already been banned in most U.S. juvenile detention facilities. Youth advocates say it can cause serious physical and psychological harm and is deployed disproportionately on young people of color and those who suffer from mental illness. In San Diego County, the Juvenile Justice Commission has repeatedly flagged its use.
The county Board of Supervisors formally approved the Probation Department response at its meeting Tuesday, even though several members appeared less than comfortable with the decision.
Before voting to approve the grand jury response, Supervisor Paloma Aguirre noted that the fixed cameras in juvenile halls do not record everywhere. She said she doesn’t want to “close the door completely” on implementing body-worn cameras.
“For me, this is not about suggesting that body-worn cameras are the perfect solution,” Aguirre said. “I do want to be clear about this being an ongoing conversation.”
Two members of the labor union that represents county probation officers also testified before the elected supervisors on Tuesday, with each registering their support for the technology.
Jennifer Fox, a 24-year veteran of the agency who is now president of the San Diego County Probation Officers Association, said the cameras have proven valuable in serving detainees and officers in other jurisdictions.
“We were surprised and disappointed by the department’s response,” she said. “This is not a time to shy away from transparency.”
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