Washington Fish & Wildlife Police to Start Wearing Body Cams

The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) has a self-contained, in-house police force. As of September, on-duty officers will be required to wear body cameras, according to a Monday press release.

The department says its decision was arrived at democratically. It comes on the heels of a "comprehensive review and trial period, during which feedback from officers and stakeholders was incorporated to ensure that the technology meets the needs of the agency and the community."

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The department's stated objective is to "enhance accountability" and "increase transparency." These are musts in the animal control and welfare domain, just as they are musts in traditional police work, but the federal government's findings on body-cam efficacy are mixed.

"Some studies suggest that body-worn cameras may offer benefits while others show either no impact or possible negative effects," writes the DOJ-affiliated National Institute of Justice.

Be that as it may, Steve Bear is hopeful. The WDFW police chief says that body cams provide a "clear, impartial record of interactions and incidents."

The press release quotes Bear as saying, "This program advances our commitment to our core values and our mission to protect our natural resources and the public we serve. Deploying body-worn cameras to our officers will help us build trust and relationships with all communities in Washington.”

(In terms of land mass, the department's jurisdiction is vast - over a million acres. That includes several dozen wildlife areas and hundreds of water access areas.)

Funding for this initiative was allocated by state legislators under the 2023-25 supplemental operating budget.

The department received upward of $900,000 in funds earmarked specifically for body-cam technology and implementation.