Kauai County had the authority to order its police officers to wear body cameras without securing their union’s consent, according to a decision reached by the Hawaii Labor Relations Board.

Kauai patrol officers started using the body cameras in December.

In March the Labor Relations Board held a hearing on the complaint filed by the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers against Kauai County claiming the union must approve of the new program due to the complexity of the equipment. But the county maintained it had a management right to implement the program and only had to “meet and confer” with the union.

According to a decision signed Friday, the board sided with the county, determining that the adoption and implementation of the body camera program are not topics covered in the collective-bargaining agreement.

“Thus, KPD (and the County) had no duty or obligation to bargain over either the use of the BWCS or the adoption (or future amendments) of rules and policies which ‘would affect the working conditions of employees or equipment peculiar to police work,’” said the board.

In an emailed statement, Kauai Police Chief Darryl Perry said, “KPD and SHOPO agree, as we always have, that body-worn cameras are an important technological benefit both to the police department and our community.”

SHOPO President Tenari Maafala declined to comment as he had yet to review the board’s decision and confer with union counsel.