MIAMI BEACH

OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER

NO. LTC #

380-2015

LETTER TO COMMISSION

TO:

Mayor Phillip Levine and Members f the City Co

FROM:

Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager

DATE:

September 23, 2015

issio

SUBJECT: Grant Award from the United ates Department of Justice for the

Smart Policing Initiative Body-Worn Camera Problem Solving

Demonstration Program

The purpose of this Letter to Commission is to advise you that the U.S. Department of
Justice has awarded the City a grant, for $635,435, for a Body Worn Camera (BWC)
Demonstration Project under the Smart Policing Initiative Program. Only three awards
were made nationwide.
The grant will provide funding for BWC related equipment, travel and consultant fees to
examine the impact of body-worn cameras on citizen complaints, internal investigations,
privacy, community relationships and cost effectiveness. The project will simultaneously
focus on the implementation of BWCs and on the demonstration of the effectiveness and
cost-effectiveness of sharing BWC data across the criminal justice system stakeholders.
It focuses on the ability to effectively share information and collaborate across criminal
justice organizations (law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, public defenders, private
attorneys, courts, and local governments) specifically in the preparation of court cases
using digital evidence.
The City, through the Miami Beach Police Department, City Attorney's Office and Office
of Budget and Performance Improvement, will collaborate with Dr. Barak Ariel, from the
University of Cambridge, England. Other stakeholders include the State Attorney;
Courts; Public Defender; Clerk of Courts.
We are pleased to be at the forefront of this innovative new technological initiative.
J LM/JW/J