Fairfax County police begin rolling out body-worn cameras to officers for pilot program

FAIRFAX, Va. - Fairfax County police have released new video from body-worn cameras that show officers' encounters on the job. This comes days after the department launched a six-month pilot program to deploy more than 200 cameras into the field.

One of the police body camera footage was recorded last Friday during the aftermath of a car crash off of Braddock Road. Police say a man was driving while intoxicated. It was his first offense.

Another footage that was recorded came from a stabbing scene Monday night. The victim said he was attacked by five men. He was on the floor at home losing blood when police arrived.

These are the first body-worn camera video files from the field that have come into Fairfax County police's headquarters.

"We have got about 130 cameras on the street," said Fairfax County Police Maj. Christian Quinn, the commander of the department's Cyber and Forensics Bureau. "So far, we have got a lot of video already, a lot of evidence of some good work being done out there. Officers helping people, officers investigating crime. Officers are using them as they are supposed to be."

He said in the four days since rolling out the body camera pilot program, they have accumulated more than 1,000 video clips. However, Quinn said there has been some technical hiccups.

"We are learning as we are going," he said. "It's new technology. We are getting acquainted with the equipment and how to use it properly."

FOX 5 has learned officers are mainly concerned about privacy, personal access and using the video as an investigative tool.

"We are giving every officer who is getting a camera individual training on the device -- how to mount it, how to use it, the nuts and bolts of the equipment," Quinn said. "How to use the back end client, the software, and then also the policy piece."

As with dashcam video, the public can request access to the body-worn camera footage.

So far, more than 100 police officers are wearing the cameras. By next Thursday, that number will nearly double to include motor units and animal protection police officers.