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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon

Time: 9:04 pm

Results for body-worn cameras

50 results found

Author: Ramirez, Eugene P.

Title: A Report on Body Worn Cameras

Summary: Technology is changing the role of law enforcement on a daily basis. The latest technology is having a profound impact on policies and procedures, on weapons systems, and even on how officers perform their daily duties. Yet, even with the latest technology available, the actions and tactics of law enforcement are constantly being criticized by the media and members of the public. Oftentimes juries return large verdicts against law enforcement agencies. However, a new law enforcement tool may actually reduce exposure to litigation and unwarranted citizens' complaints. A new paradigm for law enforcement should be one of accountability and transparency. One current way to assist law enforcement in being more accountable is by requiring officers to use a Body Worn Camera ("Body Cam" or "BWC"). The implementation of Body Cams is currently causing a worldwide debate across groups such as the Police Foundation, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Police Executive Research Forum and the American Civil Liberties Union. This one aspect of law enforcement is poised to have huge ramifications for how law enforcement interacts with its citizenry. Both law enforcement and local communities stand to benefit from the deployment of BWCs. There is no doubt that policies dealing with BWCs will become living and breathing documents that will evolve as the boundaries of this new technology are pushed. News media are replete with stories, almost on a daily basis, regarding law enforcement agencies across the world that now require an officer to use a BWC. Once again, California leads the way in deploying this new technology to help combat crime and reduce the exposure to litigation. Law enforcement agencies around the world are now delving into using BWCs. The decision to implement the use of body cams is merely an extension of the use of dash-mounted video cameras and audio recorders, both of which have been in use for years. The use of BWCs will prove to be of great value to those agencies who deploy the new technology. However, the decision to deploy BWCs is not without controversy. In the expectation that many agencies will determine that the deployment of BWCs is the right thing to do, this article will review suggested policy language, citing to both a recent PERF Conference and a recently released ACLU study on the use of BWCs.

Details: Los Angeles: Manning & Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez, Trester LLP, 2014. 23p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 9, 2014 at: http://www.parsac.org/parsac-www/pdf/Bulletins/14-005_Report_BODY_WORN_CAMERAS.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://www.parsac.org/parsac-www/pdf/Bulletins/14-005_Report_BODY_WORN_CAMERAS.pdf

Shelf Number: 133179

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Camera Technology
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Technology
Police Use of Force

Author: White, Michael D.

Title: Police Officer Body-Worn Cameras: Assessing the Evidence

Summary: Body-worn cameras represent the latest technological innovation for law enforcement. The perceived benefits of these cameras are far-ranging and touch on core elements of the police mission, including enhanced police legitimacy, reduced use of force, and fewer citizen complaints. Criticism of the technology centers on equally important issues, such as violations of citizen and officer privacy, and on enormous investments in terms of cost and resources. Unfortunately, there have been few balanced discussions of body-worn cameras and even fewer empirical studies of the technology in the field. As such, Police Officer Body-Worn Cameras: Assessing the Evidence provides a thorough review of the merits and drawbacks regarding the technology and assesses the available empirical evidence on each of those claims. Overall, this publication articulates the key questions surrounding the technology and provides a framework for informed decision-making regarding adoption and empirical evaluation of body-worn cameras.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, OJP Diagnostic Center, 2014. 60p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 9, 2014 at: https://ojpdiagnosticcenter.org/sites/default/files/spotlight/download/Police%20Officer%20Body-Worn%20Cameras.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: https://ojpdiagnosticcenter.org/sites/default/files/spotlight/download/Police%20Officer%20Body-Worn%20Cameras.pdf

Shelf Number: 133180

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Camera Technology
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Behavior
Police Legitimacy
Police Technology
Police Use of Force

Author: Police Foundation

Title: Self-awareness to being watched and socially-desirable behavior: A field experiment on the effect of body-worn cameras on police use-of-force

Summary: The Rodney King story is a potent reminder about the enormous power that police officers have and how it can sometimes be abused. That was the case of an African-American who was repeatedly beaten by Los Angeles police officers, and was arguably the impetus for the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The King incident signifies just how disproportionate use-of-force could shutter the reputation of the police and lead into social cataclysm. Importantly, there are still somewhat similar cases taking place1, despite efforts to stop such behavior through better training and prosecution of rogue officers. Are these incidents unavoidable? A voluminous body of research across various disciplines has shown that when humans become self-conscious about being watched, they often alter their conduct. Accumulated evidence further suggests that individuals who are aware that they being-observed often embrace submissive or commonly-accepted behavior, particularly when the observer is a rule-enforcing entity. What is less known, however, is what happens when the observer is not a "real person", and whether being videotaped can have an effect on aggression and violence. For instance, would the Rodney King incident be avoided had the officers known that they are being videotaped? Would frequency of police use of force be reduced if all interactions between officers and members of the public were under known electronic surveillance? We have tested whether police body-worn cameras would lead to socially-desirable behavior of the officers who wear them. Individualized HD cameras were "installed" on the officers' uniforms, and systematically-recorded every police-public interaction. We randomly-assigned a year's worth of police shifts into experimental and control shifts within a large randomized-controlled-field-experiment conducted with the Rialto-Police-Department (California). We investigated the extent to which cameras effect human behavior and, specifically, reduce the use of police force. Broadly, we have put to test the implication of self-awareness to being observed on compliance and deterrence theory in real-life settings, and explored the results in the wider context of theory and practice.

Details: Washington, DC: Police Foundation, 2013. 14p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 15, 2014 at: http://www.policefoundation.org/sites/g/files/g798246/f/201303/The%20Effect%20of%20Body-Worn%20Cameras%20on%20Police%20Use-of-Force.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.policefoundation.org/sites/g/files/g798246/f/201303/The%20Effect%20of%20Body-Worn%20Cameras%20on%20Police%20Use-of-Force.pdf

Shelf Number: 133308

Keywords:

Body-Worn Cameras
Camera Technology
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Accountability
Police Technology
Police Use of Force

Author: Roy, Allyson

Title: On-Officer Video Cameras: Examining the Effects of Police Department Policy and Assignment on Camera Use and Activation

Summary: On-officer video camera (OVC) technology in the field of policing is developing at a rapid pace. Large agencies are beginning to adopt the technology on a limited basis, and a number of cities across the United States have required their police departments to adopt the technology for all first responders. Researchers have just begun to examine its effects on citizen complaints, officers' attitudes, and street-level behavior. To date, however, there is no research examining how departmental policy and assignment of officers to a camera program affect officer behavior and opinions of the cameras. Policy and assignment have the potential to impact how officers react to the technology and can affect their interactions with citizens on a daily basis. This study measures camera activations by line officers in the Mesa Police Department during police-citizen encounters over a ten-month period. Data from 1,675 police-citizen contacts involving camera officers were subject to analysis. Net of controls (i.e., the nature of the crime incident, how it was initiated, officer shift, assignment, presence of bystanders and backup, and other situational factors), the bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine how departmental policy (mandatory versus discretionary activation policy) and officer assignment (voluntary versus mandatory assignment) affected willingness to activate the cameras, as well as officer and citizen behavior during field contacts.

Details: Phoenix, AZ: Arizona State University, 2014. 51p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed January 15, 2015 at: http://urbanaillinois.us/sites/default/files/attachments/officer-video-cameras-roy.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://urbanaillinois.us/sites/default/files/attachments/officer-video-cameras-roy.pdf

Shelf Number: 134406

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Camera Technology
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Technology
Video Cameras

Author: Miller, Lindsay

Title: Implementing a Body-Worn Camera Program: Recommendations and Lessons Learned

Summary: Over the past decade, advances in the technologies used by law enforcement agencies have been accelerating at an extremely rapid pace. Many police executives are making decisions about whether to acquire technologies that did not exist when they began their careers - technologies like automated license plate readers, gunshot detection systems, facial recognition software, predictive analytics systems, communications systems that bring data to officers' laptops or handheld devices, GPS applications, and social media to investigate crimes and communicate with the public. For many police executives, the biggest challenge is not deciding whether to adopt one particular technology but rather finding the right mix of technologies for a given jurisdiction based on its crime problems, funding levels, and other factors. Finding the best mix of technologies, however, must begin with a thorough understanding of each type of technology. Police leaders who have deployed body-worn cameras1 say there are many benefits associated with the devices. They note that body-worn cameras are useful for documenting evidence; officer training; preventing and resolving complaints brought by members of the public; and strengthening police transparency, performance, and accountability. In addition, given that police now operate in a world in which anyone with a cell phone camera can record video footage of a police encounter, body-worn cameras help police departments ensure events are also captured from an officer's perspective. Scott Greenwood of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said at the September 2013 conference: The average interaction between an officer and a citizen in an urban area is already recorded in multiple ways. The citizen may record it on his phone. If there is some conflict happening, one or more witnesses may record it. Often there are fixed security cameras nearby that capture the interaction. So the thing that makes the most sense-if you really want accountability both for your officers and for the people they interact with - is to also have video from the officer's perspective. The use of body-worn cameras also raises important questions about privacy and trust. What are the privacy issues associated with recording victims of crime? How can officers maintain positive community relationships if they are ordered to record almost every type of interaction with the public? Will members of the public find it off-putting to be told by an officer, "I am recording this encounter," particularly if the encounter is a casual one? Do body-worn cameras also undermine the trust between officers and their superiors within the police department? In addition to these overarching issues, police leaders must also consider many practical policy issues, including the significant financial costs of deploying cameras and storing recorded data, training requirements, and rules and systems that must be adopted to ensure that body-worn camera video cannot be accessed for improper reasons.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2014. 92p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 11, 2015 at: http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/resources/472014912134715246869.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/resources/472014912134715246869.pdf

Shelf Number: 134908

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Law Enforcement Technology (U.S.)
Police Accountability
Police Behavior
Police Technology
Police-Citizen Interactions
Police-Community Relations
Video Technology

Author: Mateescu, Alexandra

Title: Police Body-Worn Cameras

Summary: Police Body-Worn Cameras breaks down what's known - and not known - about the promises, perils, and potential best practices around police body-worn cameras. Both law enforcement and civil rights advocates are excited by the potential of body-worn cameras to improve community policing and safety, but there is no empirical research to conclusively suggest that these will reduce the deaths of black male civilians in encounters with police. There are some documented milder benefits evident from small pilot studies, such as more polite interactions between police and civilians when both parties are aware they are being recorded, and decreased fraudulent complaints made against officers. Many uncertainties about best practices of body-worn camera adoption and use remain, including when the cameras should record, what should be stored and retained, who should have access to the footage, and what policies should determine the release of footage to the public. As pilot and permanent body-worn camera programs are implemented, it is important to ask questions about how they can be best used to achieve their touted goals. How will the implementation of these programs be assessed for their efficacy in achieving accountability goals? What are the best policies to have in place to support those goals?

Details: New York: Data & Society Research Institute, 2015. 40p.

Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed March 12, 2015 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2569481

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2569481

Shelf Number: 134919

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Law Enforcement Technology (U.S.)
Police Accountability
Police Behavior
Police Technology
Police-Citizen Interactions
Police-Community Relations
Surveillance
Video Technology

Author: Owens, Catherine

Title: The Essex Body Worn Video Trial: The impact of Body Worn Video on criminal justice outcomes of domestic abuse incidents

Summary: Some early evaluation work undertaken in England and Wales has shown promising evidence that body worn video (BWV) can increase the proportion of criminal justice (CJ) outcomes in domestic abuse (DA) incidents, but the findings were limited. The randomised controlled trial (RCT) reported in this paper tested the impact of BWV on the CJ outcomes for domestic abuse incidents in Essex. The intervention was the issuing of BWV to officers who provided first response to incidents of DA. In total, 80 officers were randomly assigned to the treatment group (to wear body worn video cameras) - 70 eventually wore the cameras - and 238 were randomly assigned to the control group (to not receive the cameras). Randomly assigning officers to the intervention group provides a strong basis on which to draw inferences regarding the effects of BWV. Over the four month period of the trial, 308 Essex response officers attended 30,480 incidents, of which 7,609 where domestic abuse incidents; 25% of all incidents attended. Of these, at least one officer wearing a body worn camera attended 2,761 incidents (36% of all domestic abuse incidents attended). The CJ outcomes of the DA incidents attended by treatment and control group officers were analysed - both at the incident and officer level, to see if there were any difference from the presence of a camera in the outcome of the incidents. In addition, an officer survey and officer interviews were conducted to understand why any changes in outcome may have occurred and context. It was not possible to obtain victims' views, or data about the involvement of the victims or witnesses at any stage in the investigation or prosecution. The trial did not look at potential impact of BWV on victim's feelings of fairness and confidence in the way the police handled the incident, or their views on progression of the incident through the Criminal Justice System using BWV footage. Results -- There was no significant difference between whether a camera was present or not in the rate at which incidents resulted in a sanction detection (SD). However, there was evidence to suggest that use of the camera affected the type of SD. A significantly higher proportion of incidents attended by at least one officer wearing a camera resulted in one or more criminal charges rather than another SD outcome (81% of the sanction detections were charges in the treatment group compared to 72% in the control group). This finding was supported by a 5% difference in the mean for individual officer charging rates in the two groups (75% vs 80%), which although not statistically significant2 matches the pattern of findings from incidents. There was no evidence to suggest the cameras work differently for different types of officer, victim or area. However, the presence of the camera increases the probability of an individual being charged (as opposed to other forms of detection), at all risk levels graded by the control room, but the effect was most noticeable for the lower risk cases. There were no differences in incidents being recorded as crimes, or rates of arrest, and too few cases to identify impact on guilty pleas and sentencing at this time. The intention of the trial was to test the impact of BWV on CJ outcomes for DA incidents, but low usage of the cameras by officers may have had a large effect on the CJ outcomes explored in this trial. During the trial, only one in six officers surveyed reported using the camera for all DA incidents, as required by policy, and there were significant practical limitations with the equipment. This trial shows an impact of BWV in its complex 'real world' setting that enables an understanding of when and for whom it is effective. This study was, therefore, an effectiveness study, not a study of how BWV could work in ideal settings - which would need translating to the context to which it is applied. This distinction is important because interventions that lead to significant improvements in 'ideal' settings do not necessarily deliver the same results in the 'real world'. This trial found that BWV was not used as it was intended, but a difference was still seen. One explanation for the charging results could be the effect of expectations of being part of a trial, but the officer interviews and survey gave an insight into the reported difference the cameras made to their response to DA incidents. Officer Experience -- Half of those officers interviewed stated an increased confidence in getting convictions with the cameras, as they felt the cameras gave more detail than a statement could capture. The evidence, interviewed officers reported, was especially useful if it was a recording of the initial account, as it would often capture emotion and any injuries - more accurately reflecting the impact of the incident. An added benefit of the cameras was that often victims reportedly gave a great deal of information about the incident, or appeared when the officers arrived at the scene with visible injuries or clearly emotional, that they felt provided useful evidence at a later stage, particularly for evidence led prosecutions. The interviewed officers' comments all support the increased proportion of charges found. Officers interviewed felt the cameras increased accountability and made them more mindful of their behaviour. While some comments suggested officers' would be more likely to arrest than to take any other action with BWV, this was not found in the results, perhaps because of the force's prior focus on positive action, which officers usually took to mean arrest. They explained a risk aversion to inaction, and how this was amplified by the cameras. There was a feeling they would have to justify action or rather inaction to anyone looking at the footage. However, the strongest message from the survey and interviews was that the cameras had practical limitations, including failure to record, recording at the wrong angle, difficulties switching it on/off and not working in poor lighting, as well as being bulky so difficult to wear were often given as a reason officers stopped using the equipment.

Details: Ryton-on-Dunsmore, UK: College of Policing, 2014. 24p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 2, 2015 at: http://college.pressofficeadmin.com/repository/files/BWV_Report.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://college.pressofficeadmin.com/repository/files/BWV_Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 135131

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Domestic Violence
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Accountability
Police Behavior
Police Performance
Video Technology

Author: Bruce, David

Title: A 'Third Umpire' for Policing in South Africa: Applying Body Cameras in the Western Cape

Summary: Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are rapidly changing the way governments, public agencies and people interact. With the advent and spread of technologies - especially wireless connectivity and wearables - new forms of communication and information exchange are possible. In best case scenarios, these can expand the range of options and opportunities for civic engagement across political, economic and social dimensions. Not surprisingly, technological innovations are having a profound effect on the form and content of policing. But what are the possibilities for the use of these new technologies for improving law enforcement in the global South? A new initiative led by the Brazil-based Igarape Institute is testing this question. It involves police and civil society groups in Brazil and South Africa and is exploring how new technologies can improve the oversight and accountability of police. The initiative is called "smart policing".

Details: Rio de Janeiro: Igarape Institute, 2015. 33p.

Source: Internet Resource: Strategic Paper 14: Accessed May 20, 2015 at: http://www.apcof.org/files/694_smart_policing%20_in%20_south%20africa.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Brazil

URL: http://www.apcof.org/files/694_smart_policing%20_in%20_south%20africa.pdf

Shelf Number: 135718

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Police
Police Accountability
Police Communication
Police Policies and Practices
Police Technology

Author: Witherspoon, Pernell

Title: Police Body Cameras in Missouri: Good or Bad Policy? An Academic Viewpoint Seen Through the Lens of a Former Law Enforcement Official

Summary: After the fatal shooting of an African American teenager in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014, various police departments are exploring the use of body cameras. With tensions high, it is hopeful that body worn camera policies will be based on sound research and that appropriate measures are made to achieve optimum effectiveness. The author of this writing, a former law enforcement official and current academic, presents some challenges that police administrators will need to address toward body camera implementation. Because racism is difficult to accurately measure and police are historically reluctant to provide genuine feedback for researchers, the author introduces hypothetical, but realistic, phenomena for Missouri law enforcement leaders to assess. This writing raises questions to who is attracted to or being chosen for the police profession. While difficult and perhaps impossible to prove because of hidden factors, conservatism and lack of college education might be correlated to an officer's judgment toward delivering equitable treatment to all citizens. Thus, some officers might be motivated to undermine any new policies that hinder their autonomy in policing? The author's personal experiences are laid out to acknowledge the complexities behind introducing new policies based on knee jerk reactions if self-assessments within departments are not first drawn out.

Details: St. Charles, MO: Lindenwood University, 2014. 6p.

Source: Internet Resource: Number 2 (Summer/Fall 2014) Missouri Policy Journal : Accessed May 29, 2015 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2538932

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2538932

Shelf Number: 135803

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Police Accountability
Police Behavior
Police-Citizen Interactions

Author: Croslin, Chike

Title: Independent Lens: Toward Transparency, Accountability, and Effectiveness in Police Tactics,

Summary: Mandating that police wear body-worn cameras can help to improve relations between police and communities, and ensure greater accountability for police actions. But these requirements must be carefully and thoughtfully implemented within a much wider set of policy and practical policing reforms. These are the conclusions drawn from a new report released by the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice titled Independent Lens: Toward Transparency, Accountability, and Effectiveness in Police Tactics, that explores the potential and limitations of body-worn cameras for police. Recent police shootings of unarmed civilians, incidents of police misconduct, high levels of complaints against police, and costly settlements have highlighted the divisions that exist between police and residents, and the lack of trust that frequently exists between police and the communities they serve, particularly communities of color. In response, many are calling for new laws to require police officers to wear body-worn cameras to record their interactions with the public. Because this technology is relatively new and still largely untested, there exist myriad questions about the legality, usefulness, and effectiveness of such requirements" Independent Lens takes a close look at these questions, and concludes that �body-worn cameras, when appropriately integrated into existing police practices and supported by a detailed regulatory architecture, can be a key tool for reinvigorating community policing and reducing costs stemming from complaints, litigation, and settlements." However, the report also cautions policymakers of the limitations of body-worn camera technology. Such devices do not address the need for deeper reforms within police departments, such as additional training of police officers, greater monitoring of the effects of implicit racial bias, and shifts in agency incentive structures away from arrests and toward greater public safety.

Details: Cambridge, MA: Harvard Black Law Students Association, 2015. 45p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 15, 2015 at: http://www.charleshamiltonhouston.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Independent-Lens-Cvr-Guts.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://www.charleshamiltonhouston.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Independent-Lens-Cvr-Guts.pdf

Shelf Number: 136073

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Police Legitimacy
Police Misconduct
Police Policies and Practices
Police Use of Force
Police-Community Relations

Author: Katz, Charles M.

Title: Phoenix, Arizona, Smart Policing Initiative: Evaluating the Impact of Police Officer Body-Worn Cameras

Summary: A number of highly publicized deaths of citizens at the hands of the police have sparked a national debate over police accountability 0 with body-worn cameras (BWCs) at the center of the debate. BWCs enjoy support from many law enforcement agencies, citizen advocacy groups, civil rights organizations, politicians, and the federal government. Though there has been wide-ranging speculation over the potential impact and consequences of BWCs, few rigorous examinations of the technology have been conducted, and many questions remain unanswered. The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), through the Smart Policing Initiative (SPI), funded the Phoenix Police Department to purchase, deploy, and evaluate police body-worn cameras. In the study, the Phoenix SPI team deployed 56 BWCs to officers in one of the two Maryvale Precinct squad areas. All officers assigned to the target area were issued BWCs, and officers in the adjacent squad area served as a comparison group. Cameras were deployed in the field in April 2013, and the study period covered approximately 30 months (15 months pre-deployment; 15 months post-deployment). The evaluation of BWCs, led by the research partners at Arizona State University, focused on six critical areas: (1) officer camera activation compliance, (2) officer perceptions of the wearability and utility of body-worn cameras, (3) impact on officers' job performance, (4) impact on public compliance and cooperation, (5) impact on officer accountability, and (6) impact on domestic violence case processing and outcomes. The study found the following: (1) Officer compliance with the activation of BWCs was generally low (under 30 percent), varying by call type (between 6 percent and 48 percent). (2) Police perceptions of BWCs changed notably over time, as officers reported increased comfort and ease as well as greater recognition of the benefits of the technology. (3) BWCs appeared to increase arrest activity. (4) BWCs did not seem to change citizen behavior, based on resisting-arrest charges. (5) BWCs appeared to significantly reduce complaints against officers (23 percent drop) when compared with officers in the other squad area (10 percent increase). (6) Finally, BWCs improved the processing of domestic violence incidents, as cases with video were more likely to be charged and successfully prosecuted, although BWCs did result in longer case processing times. The Phoenix SPI study produced a number of important lessons learned. The decision to deploy BWCs represents an enormous investment in resources and manpower. It is important for police managers to be strategic, deliberate, and collaborative in planning their BWC program. Coordination with the Prosecutor's Office is absolutely critical. Training, policy development, and transparency with line officers also are essential for a successful BWC program. The perceived benefits of BWCs hinge on their use and proper operation in accordance with departmental policy. That is, the benefits of BWCs can be realized only if officers appropriately activate the cameras during police-citizen encounters. Line officers should become educated Line officers should become educated consumers regarding BWCs, and both line officers and police managers should be realistic about the potential impact of the technology on police operations, encounters with citizens, and community perceptions of police legitimacy.

Details: Arlington, VA: CNA Analysis & Solutions, 2015. 20p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 5, 2015 at: http://www.smartpolicinginitiative.com/sites/all/files/Phoenix%20SPI%20Spotlight%20FINAL.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://www.smartpolicinginitiative.com/sites/all/files/Phoenix%20SPI%20Spotlight%20FINAL.pdf

Shelf Number: 136946

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Complaints Against the Police
Police Accountability
Police Legitimacy
Police Technology
Police-Citizens Encounters

Author: Lopez, James R.

Title: Body Cameras and CBP: Promoting Security, Transparency and Accountability at out Nation's Borders

Summary: Body Cameras and CBP: Promoting Security, Transparency and Accountability at our Nation's Borders debuts in advance of an expected CBP announcement on the feasibility and implementation of body cameras. The report examines the benefits of requiring body-worn cameras for all CBP agents and officers, as well as the privacy concerns for the public and for the agency related to implementing body cameras. After conducting a feasibility study in early 2015, CBP has been slow to move forward with implementation of body-worn cameras. For an agency in which more than 2,000 incidents of misconduct were reported over a seven-year period, implementation of body-worn cameras across CBP would be a significant step toward repairing the agency's image.

Details: Washington, DC: National Immigration Forum, 2015. 22p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 16, 2015 at: http://immigrationforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Body-Cameras-and-CBP-Report-11062015.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://immigrationforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Body-Cameras-and-CBP-Report-11062015.pdf

Shelf Number: 137768

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Border Guards
Border Security
Police Accountability
Police Policies and Practices
Police Technology

Author: Blitz, Marc Jonathan

Title: Police Body-Worn Cameras: Evidentiary Benefits and Privacy Threats

Summary: In this Issue Brief, Professor Blitz examines the costs and benefits of body-worn cameras programs. Acknowledging that cameras will not serve as a panacea, Professor Blitz outlines policies that police departments should adopt to ensure the maximum effectiveness of such programs. As Blitz observes, even though such footage is flawed, it is better than accounts given by eyewitnesses long after the event occurred. Blitz admits that such cameras can "transform ephemeral and forgettable moments into permanent and easily shared records" of the parts of our lives we may be "least comfortable sharing with others." To address these privacy concerns, Blitz examines model rules that place greater restrictions on police use of cameras in private homes and prevent the viewing or dissemination of body camera footage except in limited circumstances. Ultimately, Professor Blitz concludes that body-worn cameras can be an important tool in efforts to combat police abuse, if used in accordance with clear guidelines proposed.

Details: Washington, DC: American Constitution Society, 2015. 20p.

Source: Internet Resource: Issue Brief: Accessed December 1, 2015 at: https://www.acslaw.org/sites/default/files/Blitz_-_On-Body_Cameras_-_Issue_Brief.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: https://www.acslaw.org/sites/default/files/Blitz_-_On-Body_Cameras_-_Issue_Brief.pdf

Shelf Number: 137375

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Accountability
Police Behavior
Police Surveillance
Police Technology
Police-Citizen Interactions
Police-Community Relations
Video Technology

Author: Katz, Walter W.

Title: Body-Worn Cameras: Policy Recommendations and Review of LASD's Pilot Program

Summary: Portable video recording technology has radically altered urban law enforcement in recent years. Unfortunately, cash-strapped police agencies have been slow to incorporate this technology fully and now face community pressure to do so rapidly. In the face of strong public concern over police use of force, the time has come to overcome technological, political, and budgetary hurdles and incorporate fixed video, car mounted video and body-worn cameras into all urban police departments. The use of these tools will enhance accountability, public confidence in police officers and public understanding of policing. This report provides information regarding the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's pilot program to test and evaluate body-worn camera systems and makes recommendations for the Department as it implements them. Regardless of policy decisions, video evidence is shaping law enforcement and police agencies must use it to full advantage to help provide the quality policing that the public deserves. In September 2014, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (hereinafter, LASD or the Department) initiated a volunteer pilot program to test body-worn camera systems (BWCS or body-camera) under patrol conditions at four stations across Los Angeles County. A body-worn camera is a small device that records video and sound. The camera is mounted on the officer's uniform and records deputy interactions with the public and can gather video evidence at crime scenes. The chief goals of the LASD's pilot program were "to accurately address allegations of misconduct and increase the public's trust." In addition, the LASD hoped that video and audio recordings would "prove beneficial in criminal proceedings, administrative investigations, service complaints and civil liability claims." The Department's pilot program ran from September 2014 through April 2015, tested four brands and five models of body-worn camera systems and deployed 96 cameras. In order to provide guidance for the volunteer deputies regarding when to employ the body cameras and on which subjects or events, the Department developed a set of guidelines covering camera activation and deactivation, expectations of privacy, operating procedures, when Department members are allowed to view recordings and retention of footage. Over the course of the program's eight-month run, the Department obtained detailed feedback from the participants, through both electronic questionnaires and focus groups that were held at each of the four stations and attended by OIG representatives. In addition to monitoring the pilot program, the OIG reviewed body-camera policies and reports from other jurisdictions as well as policy recommendations on the subject by nationally recognized law enforcement research organizations and leading advocacy organizations. The OIG then assimilated this information with trends that emerged from the LASD pilot program participants' feedback.

Details: Los Angeles: Office of Inspector General, County of Los Angeles, 2015. 70p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 1, 2015 at: https://oig.lacounty.gov/Portals/OIG/Reports/Body-Worn%20Cameras_OIG%20Report.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: https://oig.lacounty.gov/Portals/OIG/Reports/Body-Worn%20Cameras_OIG%20Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 137412

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Complaints Against Police
Disorderly Conduct
Police Legitimacy
Police Technology
Public Opinion
Surveillance
Video Cameras

Author: New York City Department of Investigation

Title: Body-Worn Cameras in NYC: An Assessment of NYPD's Pilot Program and Recommendations to Promote Accountability

Summary: In September 2014, New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner William Bratton announced the launch of a small-scale pilot program to test the use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) by New York City police officers (Volunteer BWC Pilot Program). In mid- December 2014, the Volunteer BWC Pilot Program began with 54 BWCs deployed to patrol officers across the City. BWCs are mobile cameras worn by police officers that can capture audio and video recordings of encounters between police and members of the public. BWC technology has drawn national attention for its potential to improve policing while promoting transparency and accountability in law enforcement. Police departments using BWCs have reported positive changes in the conduct of both citizens and officers, as well as speedier resolutions to police misconduct complaints and litigation. As a result, BWC programs continue to spread rapidly across the country, and numerous organizations and advocacy groups have published reports and issued their own model BWC policies. However, with the potential benefits of BWCs come certain costs and concerns, including risks to the privacy and safety of both officers and the public. As NYPD ventures into the new, evolving, and high-profile world of BWCs, it will need to ensure that the policies and procedures governing BWC use are fair, practical, legal, and transparent. To this end, the New York of the Inspector General for the NYPD (OIG-NYPD) has conducted a detailed review of NYPD's Volunteer BWC Pilot Program in order to assess how certain key topics are addressed and to identify areas not adequately covered by the policy. Specifically, OIG-NYPD focused on five topics at the forefront of the discussion surrounding BWCs: - Officer discretion regarding when to record - Notifications to citizens by officers when a BWC is activated - Safeguards to ensure officer compliance with BWC policy - Access to footage by officers and the public - Retention and purging of BWC footage These issues are critical components of any BWC policy and have stirred the greatest controversy among police executives, oversight agencies, officers, and the unions that represent them. In order to better understand the Volunteer BWC Pilot Program in both theory and practice, OIG-NYPD conducted several meetings with the NYPD team that created, launched, and is overseeing the Volunteer BWC Pilot Program. Separately, OIG-NYPD interviewed multiple police officers who are participating in the program and wearing BWCs on patrol. As BWCs impact various groups, OIG-NYPD also consulted with entities that deal directly with NYPD - such as the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association (PBA), Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), representatives from each of the City's five District Attorney's Offices and community advocates. Lastly, OIG-NYPD's evaluation of the Volunteer BWC Pilot Program included a comparative examination of NYPD's Operations Order 48 "Pilot Program - Use of Body-Worn Cameras" (Op Order 48) against the BWC policies of other police departments across the country and the policy recommendations of numerous independent studies. Through this work, OIG-NYPD was able to conduct a thorough and unique assessment of Op Order 48, specifically tailored to New York City's distinct policing environment. Based on the information gathered, OIG-NYPD developed 23 recommendations for improving the use of BWCs as NYPD transitions from its current pilot program to a more expansive long-term BWC program. Several of these recommendations - based on interviews with police officials and prosecutors, as well as the experiences of police departments nationwide - involve the safety of officers and witnesses as well as the integrity of the prosecution process.

Details: New York: Department of Investigation, Office of the Inspector General, 2015. 71p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 1, 2015 at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/oignypd/assets/downloads/pdf/nypd-body-camera-report.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://www.nyc.gov/html/oignypd/assets/downloads/pdf/nypd-body-camera-report.pdf

Shelf Number: 137413

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Accountability
Police Behavior
Police Surveillance
Police Technology
Police-Citizen Interactions
Police-Community Relations
Video Technology

Author: Lum, Cynthia

Title: Existing and Ongoing Body Worn Camera Research: Knowledge Gaps and Opportunities

Summary: Recent use-of-force events have led law enforcement agencies, citizens, civil rights groups, city councils, and even the President to push for the rapid adoption of body-worn camera (BWC) technology. In a period of less than a year, BWCs transformed from a technology that received little attention by many police leaders and scholars to one that has become rapidly prioritized, funded, and diffused into local policing. At the same time, this rapid adoption of BWCs is occurring within a low information environment; researchers are only beginning to develop knowledge about the effects, both intentional and unintentional, of this technology. Much more research is needed to understand the intended and unintended impacts and consequences of cameras.

Details: Fairfax, VA: Center for Evidence-Based Crime policy, George Mason University, 2015. 31p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 1, 2015 at: http://cebcp.org/wp-content/technology/BodyWornCameraResearch.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://cebcp.org/wp-content/technology/BodyWornCameraResearch.pdf

Shelf Number: 137414

Keywords:

Body-Worn Cameras
Camera Technology
Cameras
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Accountability
Police Surveillance
Police Use of Force

Author: Edmonton Police Service

Title: Body Worn Video: Considering the Evidence

Summary: The Edmonton Police Service has completed a comprehensive three-year study to assess the effectiveness of body worn video (BWV) for use by its officers, and as a result of the research findings, will proceed with a graduated deployment of cameras to specialized police units at this time. The EPS BWV pilot project ran from October 2011 to December 2014, with operational field testing through a variety of environments from October 2012 to July 2014. This project was partially funded through the Canadian Police Research Centre and continued under the Canadian Safety and Security Program, which is a federal program led by Defence Research and Development Canada's Centre for Security Science, in partnership with Public Safety Canada. From the outset, privacy has been a major consideration of the EPS BWV project. The EPS research team consulted with the Alberta Privacy Commissioner who provided valuable insight and recommendations. Respective of this input, the EPS created policies and procedures for the BWV pilot project that aligned with the BWV guidance document issued by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. As part of the BWV testing, the EPS issued 56 industry-standard cameras to officers in: Downtown Division and Beats; West Edmonton Mall and Whyte Avenue Beats; the Impaired Driving Countermeasures Unit; and with the Disaster and Emergency Operations Unit for a training exercise with Fire Rescue and EMS. While the body worn video project reviewed technical performance, legal considerations, and usefulness in everyday policing and investigations, it also surveyed the public and police officers on their opinion. Based on the pilot project findings, the EPS has decided to proceed with a graduated deployment of a body worn video program over the next two to five years. Cameras will be used by officers who are involved in high-risk interactions with the public, where the officers are on the scene of a crime being committed, and the evidence captured on video is of the greatest value in providing information to the courts. Examples include: the Specialized Traffic Apprehension Team (STAT) that intercept high-risk vehicles; the Impaired Driving Countermeasures Unit for Checkstop operations; Tactical Team entries where weapons may be involved; and the Public Order Unit when responding to riots. The graduated roll-out of BWV will require training of officers, revising instructional materials, modifying police uniforms to carry cameras, as well as submitting a service package for funding, sourcing newer BWV cameras, and utilizing a new digital asset management system.

Details: Edmonton, Alberta: Edmonton Police Service, 2015. 241p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 8, 2016 at: http://www.bwvsg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Edmonton-Police-BWV-Final-Report.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Canada

URL: http://www.bwvsg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Edmonton-Police-BWV-Final-Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 137812

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Law Enforcement Technology (U.S.)
Police Accountability
Police Behavior
Police Technology
Police-Citizen Interactions
Police-Community Relations
Surveillance
Video Technology

Author: Hurley, Greg

Title: Body-Worn Cameras and the Courts

Summary: In response to the August 9, 2014 shooting death of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, a citizen petition was posted on the White House website, petitions.whitehouse.gov. It asked people to sign if they supported a law requiring all state, county, and local police to wear body-worn cameras, or BWCs. Within a few weeks, the petition collected 150,000 signatures. The response to this petition received national mainstream media attention. Roy L. Austin, Jr., deputy assistant to the president for the Office of Urban Affairs, Justice and Opportunity in the Domestic Policy Council, responded to the petition on behalf of the administration. He noted that research suggested that BWCs can have significant benefits to the community, which can include: - evidence that both officers and civilians acted in a more positive manner when they were aware that a camera was present; - new opportunities for effective training of law enforcement officers presented by the use of cameras; and - useful evidence of interactions was often captured on video. However, he also stated that the cost of this technology cannot be ignored, and there are some significant unanswered questions that need to be addressed, such as: - What is the most effective type of camera (vehicle, body, weapon) - and if body, where is it best placed (lapel, ear, belt)? - What are the privacy implications of having officers record interactions with the public? - When should cameras be turned on? - Does every officer on a force need a camera? - How long should video data be maintained and who should have access to it? - What is the impact on community relationships? On December 2, 2014, Shaun Donovan, the director of the White House's Office of Management and Budget, announced that a proposed, three-year $263 million Community Policing Initiative would include an investment package that would increase the use of BWCs. This was a significant statement from the Obama Administration and demonstrated the administration's view that BWCs could be a useful tool in providing greater officer accountability and promoting more trust in law enforcement by the general public. On September 21, 2015, the Department of Justice announced over $23 million in federal funding to support a BWC pilot program, which will support 73 local and tribal law enforcement agencies in 32 states. In their press release, they noted that this was done as a "part of President Obama's commitment to building trust and transparency between law enforcement and the communities they serve." This development is not surprising as the Obama Administration had previously indicated a willingness to deploy BWC technology. It is reasonable to assume that the cumulative effect of public support for officers using BWCs, and the federal government's willingness to provide funding for a significant pilot program, suggests that BWCs will become an increasingly common piece of law enforcement equipment. In fact, the author is of the opinion that within the next five to ten years, the vast majority of law enforcement officers nationally will be equipped with and required to wear and use BWCs.

Details: Williamsburg, VA: National Center for State Courts, 2016. 56p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2016 at: http://ncsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/criminal/id/268

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: http://ncsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/criminal/id/268

Shelf Number: 137938

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Law Enforcement Technology (U.S.)
Police Accountability
Police Behavior
Police Technology
Police-Citizen Interactions
Police-Community Relations
Surveillance
Video Technology

Author: Drover, Paul

Title: Leading and Testing Body Worn Video in Wolverhampton

Summary: Policing faces both a crisis in public confidence and the challenge of improving effectiveness in times of austerity. Body Worn Video (BWV) is seen internationally as having the potential to reduce public complaints, police use of force and potentially to improve criminal justice outcomes. However there are very few studies currently that explore the effects of BWV. Further replication of the BWV trial in Rialto, California (Farrar, 2013) is required to develop our understanding of the effects. This research shall document a Police Leaders' implementation of a randomised control trial into the effects of BWV. The main objectives are to identify the challenges to implementing a trial and identify how they were overcome. The solutions to these challenges shall provide key lessons for future police leaders as they undertake research and implement change. This study shall break down the sections of the implementation process. It shall explore each issue from gaining support to run a trial through to the challenge of maintaining it. The main challenges encountered from devising the trial in March 2014, through to three months into random allocation in August 2014 shall be detailed. Addressing police resistance, tracking performance, working with technology and maintaining officer compliance will feature as key issues. This study found that gaining the support of police practitioners and police leaders requires both negotiation and direction. Once overcome the ability to maintain compliance with the experimental protocols of random assignment was key. A combination of nudge theory and direct accountability is required. The study identifies planning and a skilled support team as being crucial to overcoming the issues of trial implementation and management. A leader with strong communication skills who can adapt to feedback is central to overcoming the many issues encountered in the trial.

Details: Cambridge, UK: Wolfson College, 2014. 100p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed June 29, 2016 at: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Paul%20Drover.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Paul%20Drover.pdf

Shelf Number: 139538

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Police Accountability
Police Legitimacy
Police Performance
Police Technology
Surveillance
Video Cameras

Author: Feeney, Matthew

Title: Watching the Watchmen: Best Practices for Police Body Cameras

Summary: Coverage of recent police killings has prompted a much-needed debate on law enforcement reform, and proposals for police body cameras have featured heavily in these discussions. Body cameras undoubtedly gather valuable evidence of police misconduct, and although research on the effects of body cameras is comparatively limited there are good reasons to believe that they can improve police behavior. However, without the right policies in place the use of police body cameras could result in citizens' privacy being needlessly violated. In addition, poorly considered police body camera policies governing the storage and release of footage might be too costly to implement. This paper examines the research on the costs and benefits of police body cameras, arguing that the devices can, if properly deployed and regulated, provide a valuable disincentive to police abuses as well as valuable evidence for punishing abuses when they occur. No one-size-fits-all set of body camera policies should be imposed on the thousands of police departments across the United States, which vary significantly in size as well as the crime rates they face. Nonetheless, the policies that municipal, state, and federal actors adopt will need to address transparency, accountability, and privacy in order to realize the potential benefits of wearable cameras. Toward that end, this paper outlines a number of best practices designed to help law enforcement agencies at all levels address the privacy and fiscal issues associated with body cameras. By themselves, body cameras are not a police misconduct panacea. Police misconduct can only be adequately addressed by implementing significant reforms to police practices and training. Still, body cameras can serve as an important component of police reform.

Details: Washington, DC: Cato Institute, 2015. 24p.

Source: Internet Resource: Policy Analysis no.782: Accessed July 21, 2016 at: http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa782.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa782.pdf

Shelf Number: 139757

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Police Accountability
Police Legitimacy
Police Misconduct
Police Use of Force

Author: Pang, Min-Seok

Title: Armed with Technology: The Effects on Fatal Shootings of Civilians by the Police

Summary: The police in the United States shot and killed 986 civilians in 2015. Deaths of civilians by the police in recent years have led to protests and disruptions in several large cities, such as New York, Chicago, and Baltimore. In this study, we investigate how the use of technology by the police affects use of lethal force on civilians. Drawing upon signal detection theory, we propose a simple, stylized model on a police officer's decision to shoot. This model posits how the use of technology for intelligence access (e.g., statistical analyses of crime data) and evidence gathering (e.g., wearable body cameras) affects use of deadly force on civilians by the police. Empirical investigations with a large-scale dataset on fatal shootings revealed both encouraging and surprising findings. We found that both the use of smartphones and the statistical analyses of crime data are associated with a decrease in deadly shootings. In contrast, the use of wearable body cameras is related to an increase in the deaths of civilians by the police, contrary to an intuitive expectation that the adoption of body cameras would prevent deadly shootings. Interestingly, we also found that the observed effect of technology use is more pronounced for African Americans or Hispanics than Whites or Asians and for armed suspects than unarmed ones. We contribute to the literature by demonstrating the far-reaching role of technology use in novel contexts, specifically in highly risky, violent environments

Details: Philadelphia: Fox School of Business, Temple University, 2016. 48p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 22, 2016 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2808662

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2808662

Shelf Number: 139793

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Deadly Force
Fatal Shootings
Police Accountability
Police Use of Force

Author: Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Title: Police Body Worn Cameras: A Policy Scorecard

Summary: In the wake of high-profile incidents in Ferguson, Staten Island, North Charleston, Baltimore, and elsewhere, law enforcement agencies across the country are rapidly adopting body-worn cameras for their officers. One of the main selling points for these cameras is their potential to provide transparency into some police interactions, and to help protect civil rights, especially in heavily policed communities of color. But accountability is not automatic. Whether these cameras make police more accountable - or simply intensify police surveillance of communities - depends on how the cameras and footage are used. That's why The Leadership Conference, together with a broad coalition of civil rights, privacy, and media rights groups, developed shared Civil Rights Principles on Body Worn Cameras. Our principles emphasize that "[w]ithout carefully crafted policy safeguards in place, there is a real risk that these new devices could become instruments of injustice, rather than tools for accountability." This scorecard evaluates the body-worn camera policies currently in place in major police departments across the country. Our goal is to highlight promising approaches that some departments are taking, and to identify opportunities where departments could improve their policies.

Details: Washington, DC: Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, 2016. 208p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 25, 2016 at: https://www.bwcscorecard.org/static/pdfs/LCCHR_Upturn-BWC_Scorecard-v2.03.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: https://www.bwcscorecard.org/static/pdfs/LCCHR_Upturn-BWC_Scorecard-v2.03.pdf

Shelf Number: 140036

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Camera Technology
Cameras
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Accountability
Police Surveillance
Police Use of Force

Author: Todd, Hilary Ellen Marta

Title: The effects of citizen monitoring on the police: an examination of citizen monitoring and police use of justified force

Summary: Citizen monitoring of police officers is an area of increasing importance in law enforcement research. The most powerful weapon against police misconduct is rapidly becoming the cellular phone and other hand held photography and videography devices. The practice of recording the police conducting their work either properly or improperly and subsequently uploading the footage onto the Internet has had marked effects on members of the force. Monitoring and surveillance are known to have a significant impact on individuals and their resulting actions (Campbell and Carlson, 2002). This study offers an examination of surveillance on the police population. Through the use of a qualitative approach, the present study explores the impact citizen monitoring has on police officers. The study addresses officers' perceptions of citizen monitoring, and the impact the interviewees felt it had on their use of justified force. Guided by the question: "What impact does citizen monitoring have on police use of force, and would body worn cameras (BWC) serve as a means to mitigate this impact?", this exploratory study found that indeed, the officers interviewed may be impacted by citizen monitoring, and further, that a great deal of uneasiness exists within the force around the potential adoption of BWC technology.

Details: Burnaby, BC: Simon Fraser University, 2015. 132p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed August 26, 2016 at: http://summit.sfu.ca/item/15420

Year: 2015

Country: Canada

URL: http://summit.sfu.ca/item/15420

Shelf Number: 134047

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Citizen Monitoring
Police Accountability
Police Decision Making
Police Discretion
Police Use of Force
Social Media

Author: Bud, Thomas

Title: The Rise of Body-Worn Camera Programs in Canada and the United States: An Extension of the Surveillant Assemblage

Summary: This thesis examines the extent to which body-worn cameras programs in Canada and the U.S. befit the notion of counter-law. The research is theoretically based on Ericson's (2007a) framework of counter-law and the surveillant assemblage. The results indicate that body-worn camera programs can be considered an extension of the existing surveillant assemblage. In the U.S., numerous legislative amendments exempted body-worn cameras from certain legal requirements and thus facilitated their integration into existing surveillance networks. In Canada, legal amendments were not enacted through counter-law; nevertheless, the broadness and inconsistency of existing legislation allowed body-worn camera programs to become part of the surveillant assemblage. This thesis also contributes to refinements of counter-law I and the surveillant assemblage by analyzing variations in how these concepts apply to localized contexts of uncertainty.

Details: Windsor, ONT: University of Windsor, 2016. 73p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed August 26, 2016 at: http://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/5722/

Year: 2016

Country: International

URL: http://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/5722/

Shelf Number: 140048

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Camera Technology
Cameras
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Accountability
Police Surveillance

Author: Harris, David A.

Title: Picture This: Body Worn Video Devices ('Head Cams') as Tools for Ensuring Fourth Amendment Compliance by Police

Summary: A new technology has emerged with the potential to increase police compliance with the law and to increase officers' accountability for their conduct. Called "body worn video" (BWV) or "head cams," these devices are smaller, lighter versions of the video and audio recording systems mounted on the dash boards of police cars. These systems are small enough that they consist of something the size and shape of a cellular telephone earpiece, and are worn by police officers the same way. Recordings are downloaded directly from the device into a central computer system for storage and indexing, which protects them from tampering and assures a defensible chain of custody. This article explores the good that BWV can do for both the police and members of the public, particularly how these recordings might play a role in assuring that officers comply with Fourth Amendment search and seizure rules. Field tests of BWV in Britain have shown that police used the devices to keep records and record evidence, and that the devices were a uniquely effective bulwark against false complaints. Coupled with a requirement that every citizen encounter involving a search or seizure be recorded, and a presumption that without a recording the factfinder must draw inferences in favor of the defendant, BWV can help resolve disputes over search and seizure activities, and give the public a heretofore unattainable degree of assurance that police officers enforcing the law obey it as they do so. While BWV is certainly no panacea, and presents significant issues of tampering and reliability, it can help bring accountability and rule following to an aspect of police behavior that has largely proven resistant to it.

Details: Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh School of Law, 2010. 19p.

Source: Internet Resource: U. of Pittsburgh Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2010-13 : Accessed August 26, 2016 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1596901

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1596901

Shelf Number: 140049

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Camera Technology
Cameras
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Accountability
Police Surveillance
Police Use of Force

Author: Guerin, Paul

Title: City of Albuquerque Police Department On Body Camera System Research

Summary: This research study has several goals. First, to document the use of the OBCS, second, to provide information useful for informing the development of a policy regarding the use of the OBCS and third, to provide information that will inform a method to audit the developed policy and the use of the system by APD personnel. Currently it is not known how officers actually use the OBCS in the Albuquerque Police Department (APD). According to an APD special order authorized May 4, 2012, officers were required to use their OBCS during every citizen contact that is the result of a dispatched call for service, arrest warrant, search warrant, or traffic stop. On May 6, 2012 General Order 1-39 Use of Tape/Digital Recorders was made effective replacing an earlier version. This order includes the language in the Special Order and provides a list of incidents that must also be recorded. Another version of General Order 1-39 was made effective January 22, 2013 with some additional language including noting when officers should activate their cameras. It appears to also differentiate between dispatched and non-dispatched events and situations. Via our focus groups it appears many officers have interpreted the policy to include any citizen contact. The January 2013 general order appears to be modified by an October 2014 special order dealing with video evidence tagging procedures, which directed all officers to video if logged on a call where an arrest, criminal summons or non-traffic citation was issued. These four managing documents are found in the appendices of this report. Official information sources for this study included the OBCS information system, City of Albuquerque Human Resource information, Automated Reporting System (ARS) data, APD computer aided dispatch information (CAD), and focus groups with sworn APD staff. City of Albuquerque and APD staff collaborated in providing access to the necessary official information and provided technical information in matching and merging information from the data sources. Eleven focus groups with APD patrol officers, sergeants, and lieutenants were conducted, as well as three focus groups with Investigative Bureau detectives and one focus group with a mix of Investigative Bureau sergeants and several SWAT officers. APD staff was helpful in arranging these focus groups. APD has implemented an OBCS and similar camera programs are being implemented in law enforcement agencies around the country. This is a fairly new technology for law enforcement and best practices have not been established regarding the use of cameras, video storage and download protocols, privacy concerns, use of evidence, and officer training. Literature addressing these and other issues suggests police departments have much to consider before investing in and implementing an OBCS. This study involved two primary tasks. First, a review and analysis of APD video camera data, APD CAD data, and human resource data for APD officers was completed and second, focus groups of patrol officers, detectives, sergeants, and lieutenants from the APD Field Service Bureau (FSB), the Investigative Bureau (IB), and Special Services Bureau (SSB) were conducted. This report includes this introduction, a literature review of current practices in the field of on body camera systems, a study design and methodology section, the analysis and discussion of the data listed above, and a recommendations and conclusions section.

Details: Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, Institute for Social Research, 2016. 92p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 29, 2016 at: https://www.cabq.gov/police/documents/obcs-report-draft-all-bureaus-master-final_v102022016.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: https://www.cabq.gov/police/documents/obcs-report-draft-all-bureaus-master-final_v102022016.pdf

Shelf Number: 140073

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Camera Technology
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Accountability
Police Surveillance
Police Technology
Police Use of Force

Author: Morrison, Caren Myers

Title: Body Camera Obscura: The Semiotics of Police Video

Summary: Our understanding of violent encounters between the police and civilians is now primarily mediated by video images. With surprising rapidity, recording these encounters has become an integral part of modern policing, sparking the current body camera bonanza. When these recordings are used as evidence in police use-of-force cases, the factfinders must decide whether the police officer's actions were "reasonable" under the Fourth Amendment. But there is an unrecognized fault line between "police video" (video recorded by the police in the course of their official duties) and "eyewitness video" (recorded by bystander-witnesses). Police video tends to recirculate dominant narratives of violence and masculinity as heroic ideals that coexist easily with the legal standard of the reasonable officer. In contrast, eyewitness videos typically offer the counter-narrative of an abusive state. These images have evidentiary value, but also cultural currency. They reflect back to us our feelings about violence, race, masculinity, and the law. This article proposes a descriptive critique of the use of video evidence in assessing the lawfulness of police violence. Using insights from semiotics, film criticism, cultural theory, and cognitive psychology, it attempts to sketch out a more nuanced way of approaching video evidence in the context of these cases.

Details: Atlanta: Georgia State University - College of Law, 2016. 44p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 30, 2016 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2826747

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2826747

Shelf Number: 140085

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Fourth Amendment
Police Accountability
Police Shootings
Police Use of Force
Video Technology

Author: Katz, Charles M.

Title: Evaluating the Impact of Officer Worn Body Cameras in the Phoenix Police Department

Summary: The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), through the SMART Policing Initiative (SPI), awarded the Phoenix Police Department $500,000 to purchase, deploy and evaluate police body worn cameras. The design and implementation of the project included the purchase of 56 Body Worn Camera (BWC) systems and deploying them in the Maryvale Precinct. The implementation of the BWC;s occurred in one of the two Maryvale Precinct squad areas (aka target area). All officers assigned to the target area were issued the equipment and were provided training in its use, maintenance, and related departmental policy. This evaluation was conducted to examine the effect of implementing police worn body cameras on complaints against the police and domestic violence case processing and outcomes. Our analysis of the camera meta-data indicated that only 13.2 to 42.2 percent of incidents were recorded by and BWV camera. Domestic violence incidents were the most likely to be recorded (47.5%), followed by violent offenses (38.7), back-up (37%), status offenses (32.9%), and subject/vehicle stops (30.9%). Other offense types were recorded less often. While in general the technology was found to be comfortable and easy to use, officers were dissatisfied with long down load times, increased amount of time that it took to complete reports, and the possibility that video recordings might be used against them by the department. We also found that video submitted to the court was difficult to process because of logistical problems associated with chain of custody and the length of time that it took the prosecutors to review video files. While many of the problems were addressed by the precinct commander by assigning a police officer to serve as a court liaison officer, prosecutors still maintained that they did not have enough time to review video footage. Regardless, the officer worn body cameras were found to be beneficial to the officers and the court in a number of ways. First, officer productivity as measured through the number of arrests increased significantly. For instance, the number of arrests increased by about 17% among the target group compared to 9% in the comparison group. Second, complaints against the police declined significantly. Complaints against officers who wore the cameras declined by 23%, compared to a 10.6% increase among comparison officers and 45.1% increase among patrol officers in other precincts. Third, our data showed that those officers who wore cameras and received a complaint were significantly less likely to have the complaint sustained when compared to the comparison group and other patrol officers throughout the PPD. This suggests that even if a complaint was made against a camera wearing officer the video file was likely to provide support to the officer. Fourth, and related, the officer self-report data suggested that a significant number of complaints were not pursued because of video recordings. BWC did not appear, however, to have an impact on suspect behavior as measured through resisting arrest charges. Additionally, we examined the impact of body worn cameras on domestic violence case processing. Analysis of the data indicated that following the implementation of body cameras, cases were significantly more likely to be initiated, result in charges filed, and result in a guilty plea or guilty verdict. The analysis also determined that cases were completed faster following the implementation of body cameras, however, we believe that this finding was largely a product of the addition of a court liaison officer who facilitated case processing between the PPD and city prosecutors office.

Details: Phoenix, AZ: Center for Violence Prevention & Community Safety, Arizona State University, 2014. 43p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 15, 2016 at: https://publicservice.asu.edu/sites/default/files/ppd_spi_feb_20_2015_final.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: https://publicservice.asu.edu/sites/default/files/ppd_spi_feb_20_2015_final.pdf

Shelf Number: 144873

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Camera Technology
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Accountability
Police Surveillance

Author: Merola, Linda

Title: Body Worn Cameras and the Courts: A National Survey of State Prosecutors

Summary: Recent use-of-force events involving police in Ferguson, New York City, South Carolina, and Baltimore have led law enforcement agencies, citizens, civil rights groups, city councils, and even President Obama to push for the rapid adoption of body-worn camera (BWC) technology by police. In a period of less than a year, BWCs transformed from a technology that received little attention by many police leaders and scholars to one that has become rapidly prioritized, funded, and diffused into local policing. The U.S. Department of Justice has dedicated $20 million to fund the purchase of and technical assistance for BWCs. In 2013, the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey estimated that about a third of local law enforcement agencies had already adopted BWCs, and this percentage has likely greatly increased since then. At the same time, this rapid adoption of BWCs is occurring within a low information environment; researchers are only beginning to develop knowledge about the effects, both intentional and unintentional, of this technology. A recent review of the literature on the topic of BWCs conducted by White (2014) found only a handful of empirical studies of the technology completed by September 2013. These studies have focused on a narrow set of research questions about the impact of the cameras on police behavior. Further, only a small subset of these studies rigorously examined BWCs using valid scientific methods. As Lum (2015) has emphasized, rapid adoption of technologies in the absence of high-quality information about the impact of those technologies can lead to unanticipated and unintended consequences that may work against both police and citizen interests. The need for more research in this area is paramount, as the adoption of BWCs will likely have important implications for police-citizen interactions, police management and budgets, safety and security, citizen privacy, citizen reporting and cooperation with police, and practices in the courts. But what research questions and types of research should be pursued and why? How can we build a translatable knowledge base that is responsive and rigorous? In our first report to the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (see Lum, Koper, Merola, Scherer & Reioux, 2015), we reviewed the existing and ongoing body worn camera research to identify what was known about BWCs and what questions needed further research. In this report, we build on the knowledge about body worn cameras by carrying out a national survey of state prosecutors’ offices to begin to understand the impacts of BWCs on the courts. A random sample of 1,005 prosecutors’ offices was drawn from the National Census of State Prosecutors produced by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS, 2007). Mail-based surveys with an electronic option across multiple waves of data collection yielded 321 returned surveys. Lead prosecutors were asked about their use of body worn camera footage so far, as well as their opinions about key issues related to the technology and any concerns they have about the adoption of cameras by law enforcement in their jurisdictions. Key findings from this survey revealed:  Most state prosecutors’ offices (almost two-thirds) are already working with BWC evidence. Of these offices, a full 42.1% have used the evidence for longer than one year. Yet, a significant number (almost one-fifth of those using BWC evidence) are still very new to working with it (one month or less).  Nearly all prosecutors’ offices in jurisdictions with BWCs (92.6%) have used BWC evidence to prosecute private citizens. In comparison, 8.3% of offices located in jurisdictions with BWCs indicated that they have used BWC evidence to prosecute a police officer. It should be noted, however, that many more total citizens than police are prosecuted each year, so these percentages are not directly comparable.  Generally, lead prosecutors expressed strong support for the use of BWCs. Very high numbers of respondents (79.5%) indicated that prosecutors in their offices support BWC use. Additionally, large majorities believed that BWC evidence will help the prosecution more than it will assist the defense (62.7%) and that BWCs would improve prosecutors’ overall ability to prosecute cases (65.8%). Fewer than 10% of lead prosecutors disagreed with these statements. Taken together, these results suggest that lead prosecutors view BWC evidence as a powerful prosecutorial tool.  Yet, most lead prosecutors recognized that BWCs would produce both positive and negative impacts on prosecutors’ workloads. A majority (64.2%) believed that BWC evidence would aid in witness preparation. However, most lead prosecutors also felt that BWC evidence would increase prosecutors’ case preparation time (54% agreement) and make the discovery process more burdensome or difficult for them (56.2% agreement). These findings regarding increased workload make sense, as prosecutors will be working with a new stream of evidence.  Lead prosecutors also emphasized a continuing need to address logistical issues related to BWC evidence. A majority 59.5% of respondents expressed concern over the redaction of BWC videos. Indeed, most lead prosecutors who are working with BWCs indicated that their offices must perform their own redactions, a process which can be costly and time consuming. 54.1% were also concerned about their office’s ability to quickly obtain videos from law enforcement for use in cases. Despite these logistical issues, however, relatively few respondents (12.7%) expressed concern over negative impacts to the police-prosecutor working relationship stemming from BWCs.  When asked about resources needed to utilize BWCs effectively, the most urgent requests focused more on infrastructure and technology than on personnel. A large majority (65.4%) reported a high or moderately high need for upgrades to existing technology to view or show videos. 51.9% indicated that their offices would have high/moderately high requirements for resources to alter evidence cataloging or storage systems to effectively handle BWC evidence. Likewise, 46.3% of lead prosecutors also highlighted the need for resources to hire technical support personnel or provide technical training. In contrast, fewer respondents prioritized the need to hire either additional support personnel (36.7%) or additional prosecutors (22.4%) in response to BWCs.  When asked about the impacts of BWCs on courts, lead prosecutors cited primarily positive prosecutorial outcomes. A majority believed that BWC evidence would increase both rates of conviction (58.3% agreement) and the frequency/likelihood of plea bargains (62.3% agreement). In fact, fewer than 10% of lead prosecutors disagreed that BWCs would produce either of these results. Comparatively few lead prosecutors believed that BWC evidence would increase either the numbers of appeals or case dismissals. However, larger numbers of respondents (42.5%) indicated neutrality with respect to the question about case dismissals, signaling that views on this point may not yet be well developed.  However, nearly 30% of lead prosecutors believed that BWCs would lead to delays in case processing or other court delays. While not a majority, this finding is consistent with other results suggesting that logistical issues of evidence transfer, storage, and sufficient technical training are yet to be fully resolved.

Details: Fairfax, VA: George Mason University, Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, 2016. 41p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 10, 2016 at: http://cebcp.org/wp-content/technology/BWCProsecutors.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: http://cebcp.org/wp-content/technology/BWCProsecutors.pdf

Shelf Number: 146965

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Evidence Gathering
Police Accountability
Police Surveillance
Police Use of Force
Prosecutors

Author: District of Columbia. Police Complaints Board

Title: Enhancing Police Accountability through an Effective On-Body Camera Program for MPD Officers

Summary: Over the past few years, police departments across the country have begun equipping their officers with body-worn cameras. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has recently announced its plans to implement a body-worn camera program, citing it as one of the Department's "top five priorities." The footage that these cameras capture can be used to resolve citizen complaints and train officers on proper procedures, and even as evidence in criminal and civil litigation. In addition to these benefits, a recent study shows that the mere presence of body-worn cameras may even serve to prevent negative interactions by changing officer and citizen behavior. As a result, the use of these devices can lead to enhanced police accountability as well as improved police-community relations. While body-worn cameras have many possible benefits, their use also implicates some concerns for members of the public, government agencies, civil liberties advocates, and even the officers who wear the devices. In order to maximize the many advantages that the cameras can provide, it will be crucial for MPD to develop and implement clear policies governing video creation, access, usage, and retention. Police union representatives, policy experts, and civil liberties experts nationwide have expressed concern that deploying body-worn cameras with no official policy in place could undermine public confidence in the program, as well as jeopardize the privacy of officers and the public. Having a suitable policy in place is so critical to the deployment of a body-worn camera program that the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), with support from the Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), is currently working on guidelines to help formulate model policies. At a recent PERF Town Hall Meeting in Philadelphia, law enforcement executives from across the nation agreed that policies and procedures involve multi-faceted and complex issues. According to PERF President Charles Ramsey, who also serves as the commissioner of Philadelphia's Police Department and was previously MPD’s chief of police, "If you don't have a policy in place, eventually you're going to have a problem," noting that such policies should also exist to cover officers who might use their own cameras. To ensure the most effective policy, the needs and concerns of the many stakeholders throughout the District should be assessed and incorporated to the maximum extent possible. This kind of participation will also build public support and buy-in for the camera program, which should help ensure successful implementation. Therefore, the Police Complaints Board (PCB) recommends that MPD establish an advisory panel of District of Columbia stakeholders to assist in the development of a policy to govern a body-worn camera pilot program in the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). This panel should, at a minimum, include representatives from: MPD; the Office of Police Complaints (OPC); the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP); the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia (USAO); the District's Office of the Attorney General (OAG); the criminal defense bar; the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU); and the Fair and Inclusive Policing Task Force. The panel should also include members of MPD's Citizen Advisory Councils as well as representatives of groups from around the District who could provide insight into how a camera program would affect various segments of the public, including, among others, immigrants, non-English speakers, crime victims, and the LGBTQ population. PCB further recommends that the District provide MPD with the necessary funding to conduct a pilot program. Once a pilot program has been conducted, the advisory panel should review the program's efficacy, identify any concerns about processes or policies, and suggest changes and improvements. If the program is determined to be beneficial, the District government should then provide funding for wider implementation across MPD. In the event that MPD decides to launch a pilot program prior to convening the recommended panel, it should be allowed to do so, but should permit OPC to provide real-time input and feedback to MPD as the expedited pilot program takes shape and is implemented. Adopting this approach would allow MPD to avail itself of OPC's ties with community groups and District stakeholders, thereby incorporating useful external feedback until the panel could be established. As for the proposed panel, it should be convened as soon as practicable to help develop a final policy based on an assessment of the ongoing pilot program.

Details: Washington, DC: Police Complaints Board, 2014. 14p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 17, 2016 at: http://policecomplaints.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/office%20of%20police%20complaints/publication/attachments/Final%20policy%20rec%20body%20camera.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://policecomplaints.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/office%20of%20police%20complaints/publication/attachments/Final%20policy%20rec%20body%20camera.pdf

Shelf Number: 145083

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Camera Surveillance
Citizen Complaints
Police Accountability
Police Behavior
Police Misconduct

Author: Murphy, Sandra Tibbetts

Title: Police Body Cameras in Domestic and Sexual Assault Investigations: Considerations and Unanswered Questions

Summary: Over the last several years, as the public demand for law enforcement's use of body cameras has increased dramatically, much has been written about body cameras as a law enforcement tool, including constitutional analyses, recommended protocols and procedures and even assessments of differing body camera models. Communities in the United Kingdom and United States have initiated pilot programs to determine the appropriate and most effective use of body cameras by policing agencies. Research regarding how body cameras are used, in what situations and their effect, if any, on law enforcement response and citizen behavior, however, remains very limited. "There remains insufficient empirical research to fully support or refute many of the claims made about the police body-worn cameras." If research on body camera programs in general is limited, the use of body cameras when responding to and investigating cases of domestic violence and sexual assault is almost nonexistent. In the few articles and studies that even mention body cameras in the context of law enforcement response to domestic violence and sexual assault, such references carry the connotation of being afterthoughts, tagged on to a larger argument or recommendation as a means of further support. This paper identifies and addresses the various issues – those known and unresolved – that may arise when law enforcement equipped with body cameras respond to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, including issues of privacy and confidentiality, witness intimidation, possible evidentiary challenges when using body camera footage in trial, and unintended consequences such access and use may create for victims.

Details: Minneapolis, MN: The Battered Women’s Justice Project, 2015. 14p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 7, 2017: http://www.bwjp.org/assets/documents/pdfs/police-body-cams-in-domestic-and-sexual-assault-inve.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://www.bwjp.org/assets/documents/pdfs/police-body-cams-in-domestic-and-sexual-assault-inve.pdf

Shelf Number: 146018

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Criminal Investigations
Domestic Violence
Police Accountability
Police Body Worn Cameras
Sexual Assaults

Author: Muggah, Robert

Title: Filling the Accountability Gap: Principles and practices for implementing body cameras for law enforcement

Summary: New technologies are revolutionizing the way governments provide services, including law enforcement. Around the world, police departments are investing in predictive analytics, digital forensics, data mining systems and crime mapping platforms to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their work. They are also experimenting with mobile technologies to strengthen communication and outreach. One such device - on-officer recording systems, or body-worn cameras (BWC) - is catching on. Police are experimenting with "cop cams" in dozens of cities across North America and Western Europe while sparking debate and some controversy in the process. There are also small-scale pilots using open source and mobile phone-operated BWCs in Latin America and South Africa. There is growing awareness of their effectiveness. The introduction of BWCs has the potential to transform policing. If implemented with appropriate checks and balances, BWCs can potentially improve oversight over police officers and strengthen their accountability to citizens. Many civil liberties groups are already advocating for cameras due to their ability to check the abuse of power by police while also helping to protect them (and citizens) against false accusations. What is more, cumulative data harvested by such devices can improve the targeting of crime prevention efforts as well as overall law enforcement performance. With safeguards in place, citizens, too, will benefit from these technologies since the use of cameras changes the nature of police-civilian interaction, most often for the better Of course, there are also risks associated with cop cams. This is particularly the case if broader policy and institutional questions related to the deployment of the technology are not adequately thought through. On the one hand, if deployed inappropriately and without proper oversight, body cameras can violate citizens' rights to privacy.4 Body cameras used without restrictions are tantamount to pervasive surveillance. They can be used invasively since police routinely enter citizens' homes and often encounter individuals in extreme situations. On the other, the use of body cameras without adequate consideration of how such tools will be implemented can lead to cost overruns (especially in relation to storing and redacting data) and, ultimately, the rejection of the tool itself. Guidance on the best practices of cop cams is urgently needed. Note too that the other end of the spectrum - complete officer discretion over when to activate a camera - has been shown to increase, not decrease, both officer use of force and assaults on police. This Strategic Note sets out some of the opportunities and challenges associated BWCs. It builds on several years of experience of the IgarapeInstitute in testing body cameras in Brazil and South Africa, as well as consultations with dozens of specialists in law enforcement and civil liberties communities. It focuses especially on key political and institutional questions regarding the management of these new tools. The first section highlights the emergence of new technologies in law enforcement and, in particular, the rise of cop cams. Section two underlines some of the controversies - both operational and ethical - associated with these technologies. The third section presents a shortlist of emerging principles for institutionalizing cop cams, as well as practices that flow from them. The note is not exhaustive; it is a first pass over a complex and rapidly-evolving public policy area.

Details: Rio de Janeiro, Brasil: Igarapé Institute, 2016. 23p.

Source: Internet Resource: Strategic Note 23: Accessed February 28, 2017 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AE-24_Filling-the-accountability-gap-body-worn-cameras-14-11.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: International

URL: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AE-24_Filling-the-accountability-gap-body-worn-cameras-14-11.pdf

Shelf Number: 145580

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Police Accountability
Police Cameras
Police Surveillance
Police Technology
Police-Citizen Interaction

Author: Big Brother Watch

Title: Smile you are on Body Worn Camera, Part 1 -- Local Authorities. How Councils are Using Body Worn Cameras

Summary: Big Brother Watch has a long history of exposing the over-zealous use of surveillance powers by local authorities. Over the past 8 years we have found that local authorities have used counter terrorism powers to spy on dog owners, suspected fly tippers and even members of staff they employ to spot crime. We have revealed the thousands of officials able to enter our homes; often without a warrant, and we have lain bare the financial burden of CCTV on council coffers. Now in Smile you are on Body Worn Camera, Part 1 "Local Authorities, we reveal for the first time that:  54% of all local authorities across the UK are equipping members of staff or contractors with body worn cameras at a cost of £1,791,960.81.  66% of local authorities are failing to completing Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) before deploying the technology and  21% of councils are holding non-evidential footage for longer than 31 days; the time limit adhered to by police forces. Body worn cameras are the new tool in the surveillance arsenal. They can be deployed for multiple purposes often with little to no evidence that they are the right tool to solve the particular problem. Big Brother Watch is concerned that the rush to use body worn cameras by local authorities is not being scrutinised closely enough. When we consider that many councils have a poor track record of using heavy handed surveillance tactics and are often lackadaisical with their approach to protecting personal data, scrutiny of new capabilities should be a number one priority. We understand that deploying body worn cameras in order to protect staff from verbal or physical abuse may have validity; no member of staff should feel unsafe at work. But the decision by some councils to equip staff with the cameras in order to film people dropping litter, walking dogs, parking or to monitor people's recycling, in order to use the "evidence" to issue a fine, we would argue is a disproportionate use of an intrusive surveillance capability and a potential breach of the privacy of law abiding citizens. The privacy concerns which accompany the use of body worn cameras are two-fold. Firstly, the initial filming of people in a public space and secondly the retention of footage showing direct engagement between official and citizen, which includes a record of the citizens' face, voice, mannerisms and behaviours. Local authorities must ensure the technology is only deployed when proven to be absolutely necessary and completely proportionate to the problem they are trying to solve. Officials must then ensure the retention of any data adheres to the strongest safeguards in light of the potential sensitivity of the data being handled. If they fail to properly engage on the issue of privacy, if citizens feel as though they are being filmed for no good reason by unnecessarily intrusive officials or if stories are published which reveal poor data security, loss, breach or misuse of the footage then councils will face inevitable criticism and a public backlash.

Details: London: Big Brother Watch, 2017. 80p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 2, 2017 at: https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Smile-you-are-on-Body-Worn-Camera-Part-1-1.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: United Kingdom

URL: https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Smile-you-are-on-Body-Worn-Camera-Part-1-1.pdf

Shelf Number: 141298

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Cameras
Privacy
Surveillance

Author: Baumgartner, Frank R.

Title: Racial Disparities in Traffic Stop Outcomes

Summary: In American politics, the issue of racial disparity is never far from the surface, in particular as it relates to encounters with the police. We are currently in a period when – thanks to the Black Lives Matter movement – the behavior of police officers toward minorities is receiving intense scrutiny. As usual, Americans are deeply divided on the issue: where one side perceives injustice and violence toward black bodies, the other focuses on the difficulties of law enforcement and the need to respect those in blue. Our current focus on race and justice is all too familiar, but this most recent surge in attention to these issues offers perhaps a special promise of progress because our abilities to document citizen interactions with police have never been better. First, almost everyone today has a video camera on their cell phone, allowing them to film their interactions with police officers. It is much harder to dismiss a victim's claims of police misconduct when footage of the incident is posted on Facebook for the world to see. Second, increasing numbers of police departments are mandating the use of dash cameras and body cameras for police cars and police officers. Third, we now have access to extensive databases of police traffic stops that record the demographic information of stopped motorists alongside information about what transpired during the stop. Efforts to collect this type of data were put in place during the last wave of attention toward "driving while black" disparities in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Figure 1 shows the surge of attention as well as its later decline. During the time when attention to the concept of "driving while black" or "driving while brown" surged, a number of states passed laws for the first time mandating the collection of data on routine traffic stops. They sought to document any racial disparities that were alleged to be occurring so that the phenomenon could be either dismissed, if the data revealed there was no such thing, or better understood so that solutions could be implemented if the data showed that allegations were indeed accurate. The figure shows that attention has declined, but a new wave of attention to police violence, based on shootings of unarmed black men has of course kept police-minority relations in the headlines. One major difference between the 1990s and today was mentioned above: video confirmation. Another is data, which is our focus here.

Details: Chapel Hill, NC: Department of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2017. 42p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 2, 2017 at: https://www.unc.edu/~fbaum/articles/BaumgartnerEtAl-2017-DukeForum-RacialDisparitiesInTrafficStops.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: United States

URL: https://www.unc.edu/~fbaum/articles/BaumgartnerEtAl-2017-DukeForum-RacialDisparitiesInTrafficStops.pdf

Shelf Number: 141302

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Racial Disparities
Racial Profiling
Racial Profiling in Law Enforcement
Stop and Search
Traffic Stops

Author: Young, Joshua

Title: Implementation of a Randomized Controlled Trial in Ventura, California: A Body-Worn Video Camera Experiment

Summary: Police agencies from around the world are currently deploying police practices which have been empirically shown to be ineffective. Yet, alarmingly, there doesn't seem to be any urgency to move away from these ineffective practices and into methods supported by evidence. It could be that the idea of using evidence from criminological research and running scientific experiments to test the effectiveness of new innovations seems out of reach for local agencies. In reality, this is far from the truth. There is currently, however, a lack of implementation literature for police agencies looking to implement experimentation and transition to evidence-based practices. The purpose of this thesis is to dispel the myth that integrating an evidence-based policing culture and scientifically testing new innovations is outside the scope of local police agencies. Based on lessons learned from implementing a body-worn video (BWV) camera randomized controlled trial (RCT), this thesis is written to offer the practitioner a real-world thematic guide. This guide aims to assist police agencies looking to implement a BWV camera experiment and provide recommendations on how to integrate and sustain an evidence-based policing culture. During the Ventura Police Department's (VPD) randomized controlled trial (RCT), we were not only able to implement an experiment with the University of Cambridge but provide a replication study of the first BWV camera randomized controlled trial conducted in Rialto, California. During the implementation of Ventura's BWV randomized controlled trial, we encountered stumbling blocks in the non-compliance of the randomization schedule. We show with verifiable data that we were able to increase officer compliance by 92% and provide recommendations on how to reduce contamination issues by laying an evidence-based foundation prior to implementation. In addition, I offer a recommendation for agencies looking to embrace evidence-based policing to create a guiding coalition with enough influence to support, integrate, and sustain a culture willing to test new innovations. Our experiment evaluates the effects of BWV cameras on police use of force and citizens' complaints. In addition, Ventura's BWV camera experiment will be the first to empirically test the effects of BWV cameras on prosecution outcomes, particularly the speed of early-guilty pleas and the rate of prosecution. I purposely do not provide any preliminary data relating to use of force, citizens' complaints, and prosecution outcomes. It is too early to show any causal inferences to suggest the effects the BWV cameras are having at VPD. However, early indications suggest that the cameras are having a positive effect. We look to provide statistical strength to Rialto's findings at the conclusion of our 12 month RCT.

Details: Cambridge, UK: Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, 2014. 87p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 10, 2017 at: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Joshua%20Young%20Thesis.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Joshua%20Young%20Thesis.pdf

Shelf Number: 144766

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Cameras
Evidence-Based Policing
Evidence-Based Programs
Police Accountability
Police Technology
Surveillance
Video Technology

Author: Henstock, Darren

Title: Testing the Effects of Body Worn Video on Police Use of Force during Arrest: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Summary: There is, at present, a worldwide uncontrolled social experiment taking place within policing. Body worn cameras have been rolled-out in many forces worldwide, aiming to improve the procedural compliance of officers and reduce the incidence of use of force. Yet rigorous evidence is virtually non-existent on this multi-billion dollar industry, on either its efficacy or cost-effectiveness. This study tested the effect of body worn cameras within a large UK force in a six month randomised-controlled-trial, whilst observing the effect within pre-specified force categories. Overall a 50% reduction in the odds of force being used was recorded when body worn cameras are present compared to control conditions, interpreted to be a result of the deterrence-effect body worn cameras have on officers, offenders, or both. However, the effect concentrates in open-hand tactics, with no discernible effect on categories of more aggressive force responses. Furthermore, 40% 'more force' was detected in treatment-conditions for handcuffing compliant suspects - contextualised as enhanced transparency and accountability, rather than a backfiring-effect. In logical conclusion to this recorded reduction in low level use of force, the study documents a 65% reduction in recorded injuries to persons arrested, but counter-intuitively a corresponding increase in reported injuries to officers. This seemingly unexpected finding is attributed to improved confidence in reporting by officers rather than the cameras creating more aggression towards them. Finally, the dissertation also considers issues surrounding the implementation of body worn camera experiments.

Details: Cambridge, UK: Wolfson College, 2015. 107p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 4, 2017 at: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Darren%20Henstock.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Darren%20Henstock.pdf

Shelf Number: 145315

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Camera Technology
Cameras
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Accountability
Police Surveillance
Police Use of Force

Author: Koen, Marthinus Christoffel

Title: On-Set Body-Worn Cameras in a Police Organization: Structures, practices, and technological frames

Summary: Existing research on body-worn cameras (BWCs) has primarily focused on outcomes (e.g., use-of-force incidents, complaints, and arrests) rather than the processes related to BWC implementation and use by officers. This dissertation provides insights into the effects that the implementation of BWCs has had on key organizational structures and practices, including reporting, discretion, training, police-citizen interactions, and supervision. It also focuses on the technological frames of individuals belonging to different organizational groups and examines to what extent these outlooks differed between groups and changed over time. Using in-depth interviews, ride-along observations, and patrol officer surveys at a single police agency, this research resulted in two major, interrelated findings. First, the largest effect of the implementation of BWCs was on accountability, which had increased in scope to cover a range of aspects of policing, including training, reporting, discretion, and police-citizen interactions. At the same time, the intensity with which officers' experienced accountability had not significantly increased as BWC footage was not systematically used to monitor, review, and/or evaluate police officer conduct and quality of performance. The second major finding, regarding the technological frames of two relevant social groups (Managers and Users), helps explain these findings. BWCs were implemented primarily for training purposes and to protect patrol officers against groundless complaints rather than as a mechanism for identifying officer misconduct, for failing to comply with departmental policies, and for poor street-level performance. Although Users initially feared that BWCs were going to be used to get them into trouble for minor instances of misconduct or rule violations, their frames changed over time as they realized that BWCs were not going to be used by Managers as a "gotcha" mechanism. As officers learned that BWCs were used primarily to protect and support them, they became much more positive and less apprehensive about their implementation in the department. This challenges the view suggested by the technological frames literature that "first impressions" last, as Users' initial apprehension toward BWCs gave way to a readiness to embrace them, particularly in light of the several benefits they subsequently learned BWCs delivered. This contribution to existing knowledge is beneficial in two ways: first, it fills a gap in existing police technology research in providing an in-depth examination of the effects of BWC implementation on a variety of structures and practices in addition to technological frames; second, it serves as a baseline for future, large-scale studies by identifying additional factors that were important and/or specific to the implementation of BWCs that have not been fully explored.

Details: Fairfax, VA: George Mason University, 2016. 269p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed June 28, 2017 at: http://digilib.gmu.edu/jspui/bitstream/handle/1920/10419/Koen_gmu_0883E_11230.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: http://digilib.gmu.edu/jspui/bitstream/handle/1920/10419/Koen_gmu_0883E_11230.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Shelf Number: 146450

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Camera Technology
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Accountability
Police Technology
Police Use of Force

Author: American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts

Title: No Tape, No Testimony: How Courts Can Ensure the Responsible Use of Body Cameras

Summary: In January 2015, the Chicago Police Department launched a pilot program requiring its officers to use body-worn cameras. The program began in the wake of public outcry over violence by Chicago police officers against civilians, and a police official explained that it sought to "rebuild[] trust with the residents we're sworn to serve." In July 2016, an officer wearing one of these cameras killed Paul O'Neal, a Black teenager who allegedly stole a car and crashed it into a police cruiser. After Mr. O'Neal fled on foot, the officer fatally shot him in the back. In theory, Mr. O'Neal's final moments should have been recorded by the officer's body camera, and the recording should now be available to assist a court, a jury, or the public in deciding whether the shooting was justified. But no such video exists. The camera worn by the officer who killed Mr. O'Neal was reportedly not turned on until after the fatal shot had been fired. This incident, and others like it, have been cited as cautionary tales about how the value of body cameras can be undermined if the police cannot or will not ensure their consistent use. But police departments are not the only institutions capable of assuring the effective use of body-worn cameras. Courts can do it too. For three reasons, courts can and should encourage the police to record, when practicable, their investigative encounters with civilians. 1. Videos of police-civilian encounters have shaken public confidence in the capacity of legal proceedings to separate fact from fiction. Time and again, cases have been headed for an incorrect result - such as the wrongful prosecution of a civilian or the wrongful exoneration of a police officer - until videos surfaced that contradicted officers' versions of events. Meanwhile, there is growing evidence that witness testimony, on which courts must often rely when video is absent, can be quite flawed when used as the exclusive means of resolving disputes between police officers and civilians. Thus, when video evidence of a police-civilian encounter does not exist, legal proceedings may be less likely to get the right answer or to be respected by the public. 2. Police body-worn cameras present a viable and valuable supplement to witness testimony. These cameras are quickly becoming part of the 21st-century police uniform, with a recent survey of 70 law enforcement agencies finding that 95% of respondents had either implemented or had committed to implementing body camera programs. Body cameras can be critical to uncovering the truth when the facts of a police-civilian encounter are contested. There is also evidence that, when body cameras are consistently worn and activated, they can deter misconduct or violence from happening in the first place. 3. Courts have both a distinct interest in and a unique means of encouraging police officers to record their encounters with civilians. Courts have an interest in conducting legal proceedings that are fair, that avoid wrongful convictions and other catastrophic outcomes, and that efficiently resolve disputes. Given those interests, and given that videos of policecivilian encounters can make the difference between just and unjust results, courts should encourage, when practicable, the recording of police-civilian encounters. Rather than leave this task to police departments, whose disciplinary practices are necessarily inconsistent, courts should provide this encouragement by using tools uniquely at their disposal: jury instructions. This report proposes a model jury instruction that encourages the recording of police-civilian encounters by empowering juries to impose evidentiary consequences for unreasonable or bad faith failures to record. This instruction would tell the jury that, if it finds that the police unreasonably failed to create or preserve a video of a police-civilian encounter, it can devalue an officer's testimony and infer that the video would have helped the civilian. If the jury finds that the case involves bad faith, such as the outright sabotage of body cameras, then it should be instructed to disregard officer testimony altogether. The tools that courts can use to craft this instruction already exist. Several courts now use jury instructions to encourage the recording of custodial interrogations and drunk-driving field tests; they can and should craft similar rules for body cameras. These measures can help prevent wrongful convictions, accurately resolve allegations of police misconduct, and enhance public trust in the justice system's capacity to get it right when confronted with police-civilian violence.

Details: Boston: ACLU of Massachusetts; Berkeley, CA: University of California, Berkeley School of Law Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, 2016. 27p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 2, 2017 at: https://www.law.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/SLTPPC_ACLU_BodyCameras_Final.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: https://www.law.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/SLTPPC_ACLU_BodyCameras_Final.pdf

Shelf Number: 147015

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Law Enforcement Technology (U.S.)
Police Accountability
Police Behavior
Police Technology
Police-Citizen Interactions
Police-Community Relations
Surveillance
Video Technology

Author: Bandiero, Anthony M.

Title: Implementation Issues and Policy Implications of Body-Worn Cameras in Routine Police Encounters With Citizens

Summary: This study investigates the impact body-worn cameras (BWCs) will have on police-citizen encounters. In an era of increasing surveillance, both private and public, what role should BWCs play? Further, what legislation and institutional safeguards must be put in place to protect privacy and prevent BWCs from becoming a tool to surveil marginalized communities? The implementation of BWCs appears a forgone conclusion in many communities where police relations are tenuous. Specifically, the presence of BWCs can help eliminate excessive force by encouraging pro-social behavior on behalf of both police officers and citizens. Additionally, BWCs can even play a role in reducing lawful uses of force because if a citizen, initially bent on non-compliance with an officer's commands, realizes that the encounter is being recorded, they are likely to change their behavior for the better. This study concludes that BWCs should be supported with the following limitations: BWC videos must not be considered a public record, and therefore susceptible to general public record's requests. BWC videos will record areas where people will have a reasonable expectation of privacy and these intrusions should not be generally available, except under certain pre-authorized circumstances. Additionally, BWCs must not transition into a mass surveillance tool for police. Therefore, this study recommends strict purge requirements for videos that are not applicable to an investigation.

Details: Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, 2016. 82p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed September 8, 2017 at: https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/33797278

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/33797278

Shelf Number: 147161

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Police Accountability
Police Surveillance
Police-Citizen Interactions

Author: Newell, Bryce Clayton

Title: Transparent Lives and the Surveillance State: Policing, New Visibility, and Information Policy

Summary: In this dissertation, I utilize conceptual and legal analyses to explore the tensions between personal information privacy and public access to information implicated by government surveillance and citizen-initiated inverse surveillance efforts designed to cast the gaze back at the government, and ask what implications these conclusions have for individual freedom (defined as the absence of domination). I focus on police use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) and automated license plate recognition (ALPR) technologies, on one hand, and citizen-initiated recordings of police officers and freedom of information (FOI) requests for data collected by police BWCs and ALPR systems, on the other. My analysis draws upon republican political theory, philosophical and legal theories of privacy and free speech, the concept of "policing's new visibility" (Goldsmith, 2010), and various other theories of surveillance and reciprocal/inverse surveillance within the surveillance studies literature. I conduct doctrinal and descriptive legal research into relevant privacy and disclosure laws applicable within Washington State (USA); utilize legal and philosophical theories of privacy, freedom, and free speech to conduct an analysis of the values and value tensions implicated in these situations; and apply elements of Value Sensitive Design for similar conceptual and analytic purposes. Ultimately, I develop a theory of information policy that that accounts for tensions between personal information privacy rights and government disclosure of personally-identifiable information under state FOI law in Washington State, and I propose normative recommendations for improving law, public policy, and police department surveillance and disclosure policies related to these privacy and access concerns.

Details: Seattle: University of Washington, 2015. 207p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 16, 2017 at: https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/bitstream/handle/1773/33984/Newell_washington_0250E_14460.pdf?sequence=1

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/bitstream/handle/1773/33984/Newell_washington_0250E_14460.pdf?sequence=1

Shelf Number: 147362

Keywords:
Automated License Plate Recognition
Body-Worn Cameras
Cameras
Police Surveillance
Police Technology
Privacy

Author: Taylor, Emmeline

Title: Police detainee perspectives on police body-worn cameras

Summary: Recent years have seen the introduction of police body-worn cameras (BWCs) in many countries. Despite the costs involved in purchasing equipment and storing the large amounts of data generated, there is a dearth of evidence to support their mainstream use as part of law enforcement activities. There remains little understanding about the impact and effectiveness of BWCs, and less still on how the police, members of the public and, importantly, arrestees perceive and experience the cameras. In this study, 899 adult police detainees were interviewed about their perceptions and experiences of police BWCs through the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program. Findings suggest that police detainees in Australia are largely supportive of the use of police BWCs, but this was predicated on a number of operational and procedural requirements. The findings have implications for the use of BWCs as an everyday part of policing apparatus.

Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2017. 14p.

Source: Internet Resource: Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 537: Accessed November 2, 2017 at: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi537.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: Australia

URL: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi537.pdf

Shelf Number: 147971

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Police Technology
Surveillance
Video Surveillance

Author: Braga, Anthony A.

Title: The Impact of Body-Worn Cameras on Complaints Against Officers and Officer Use of Force Incident Reports: Preliminary Evaluation Findings

Summary: SUMMARY - The Boston Police Department collaborated with Northeastern University to develop a randomized controlled trial of its pilot implementation of 100 body worn cameras on patrol officers in 5 police districts and plainclothes officers in the Youth Violence Strike Force. - The Northeastern research team randomly allocated 281 officers into treatment (camera wearers) and control groups from these assignments. The selected officers worked the day and first half shifts and were actively providing police services to Boston residents. - The randomization procedure generated treatment (140 officers) and control (141 officers) groups that were equivalent in terms of officer sex, race, age, years on the job, shift, assignment, prior complaints, and prior use of force reports. All treatment officers were trained on the body worn camera policy and the use of the technology. - At the commencement of the pilot program, 100 of the 140 officers trained on the use of body worn cameras were assigned to wear the cameras. Over the course of the one-year intervention period, 21 officers stopped wearing the cameras due to promotions, assignment changes, medical incapacitation, resignation, and retirement. A total of 121 of the 140 treatment officers wore cameras during the pilot program. - The preliminary findings of the randomized controlled trial suggest that the placement of body worn cameras on Boston Police officers may generate small benefits to the civility of police-citizen civilian encounters. Relative to control officers, treatment officers received fewer citizen complaints and generated fewer use of force reports. - Statistical analysis revealed that the impact of body worn cameras on complaints was small but statistically-significant at a less restrictive statistical threshold. The results suggest a reduction of one complaint per month for 140 treatment officers relative to 141 control officers. The analysis indicated body worn cameras generated a small reduction in officer use of force reports that was not statistically-significant, suggesting no meaningful difference between the treatment and control groups. - These preliminary results are not final and should be interpreted with caution. The evaluation team will continue to collect data and pursue supplemental analyses to ensure that these findings are robust to different tests and model specifications. The final report will present completed analyses of the impact of body worn cameras on citizen complaints and officer use of force reports as well as analyses of impacts on police proactivity, lawfulness of police enforcement actions, and police-community relations.

Details: Boston: Northeastern University, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 2018. 17p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 31, 2018 at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5086f19ce4b0ad16ff15598d/t/5a563546ec212d4f5bf29527/1515599174343/BPD+BWC+RCT+preliminary+impact+report.pdf

Year: 2018

Country: United States

URL: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5086f19ce4b0ad16ff15598d/t/5a563546ec212d4f5bf29527/1515599174343/BPD+BWC+RCT+preliminary+impact+report.pdf

Shelf Number: 148946

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Camera Technology
Cameras
Law Enforcement Technology
Police Accountability
Police Surveillance
Police Use of Force
Police-Citizen Interactions
Police-Community relations

Author: Hickman, Kishon C., Sr.

Title: From Behind the Lens: Police Officer Perceptions as Body-Worn Cameras are Introduced Into the New York City Police Department

Summary: In 2014, the U.S. District Court ordered the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to test the use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) after finding that their stop, question, and frisk practices violated the rights of some minority New Yorkers. The ruling in Floyd v. City of New York (2013) mandated the recording of future interactions to determine if behavior would be influenced. A total of 54 volunteer officers wore a BWC for a 1-year period and were assigned to six precincts, all selected due to the high frequency of stop, question, and frisk reports prepared by patrol officers. This research examined patrol officer perceptions of the BWC from the lens of the NYPD's two-officer patrol car. The study revealed unique access to 54 volunteer officers and their non-camera-wearing patrol partners, as they recorded citizen interactions during this pilot period. Further, this study examined the extent officers were open to the adoption of BWCs, providing some of the first-ever evidence for or against claims of increased transparency, accountability and improvements in both officer and citizen behavior during encounters. The respondents' demographic data were analyzed to determine any relationship with particular viewpoints toward the BWC. The results suggest that patrol officers are in favor of the adoption of a BWC program, and that the BWC had little to no effect on their patrol partnerships. Results also suggest that officers felt comfortable wearing BWCs, and that regardless of their age, gender, years of police experience or years partnering, the existence of the BWC made for better police service in New York City.

Details: Rochester, NY: St. John Fisher College, 2017. 163p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed February 23, 2018 at: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1301&context=education_etd

Year: 2017

Country: United States

URL: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1301&context=education_etd

Shelf Number: 149230

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Cameras
Police Accountability
Police Surveillance
Police Technology
Police-Citizen Interactions
Stop and Frisk

Author: Sacca, Giacomo

Title: Not just another piece of equipment: an analysis for police body-worn camera policy decisions

Summary: In the United States, law enforcement agencies are rapidly deploying body-worn cameras (BWCs) to increase organizational transparency and foster positive community relations. Proponents of the technology see BWCs as a tool to ensure police legitimacy and eliminate abusive conduct. Preliminary evidence identifies several benefits of using BWCs, such as: reduced citizen complaints, increased cooperation, and lower civil liability. However, emerging evidence suggests that the devices may be achieving the intended goals but with unintended consequences. BWC use may inadvertently increase use of force incidents and reduce the time that the police spend on de-escalating a situation. This thesis employs qualitative research methodology to examine how BWCs affect the ambiguous nature of police decision-making, as well as the effects of BWC use on the public, thereby investigating solutions for the frayed police-public relationship. By analyzing current data available on BWCs, examining information on human decision-making including heuristics, and completing a comparative analysis of a similar police technology-the vehicle dashboard camera-the thesis finds that BWC use can have different and changing impacts on police behavior, suggesting that variables related to human factors alter the dynamics of BWC use. The thesis provides recommendations that cover independent agency BWC evaluations, organizational training, limits on discretionary officer recording, and the practical application of automated camera systems.

Details: Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School, 2017. 148p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed February 23, 2018 at: https://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/56797/17Dec_Sacca_Giacomo.pdf?sequence=1

Year: 2017

Country: United States

URL: https://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/56797/17Dec_Sacca_Giacomo.pdf?sequence=1

Shelf Number: 149231

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Cameras
Police Accountability
Police Behavior
Police Decision-Making
Police Legitimacy
Police Technology
Police-Community Relations

Author: Wasserman, Howard M.

Title: Police Misconduct, Video Recording, and Procedural Barriers to Rights Enforcement

Summary: The story of police reform and of "policing the police" has become the story of video and video evidence, and "record everything to know the truth" has become the singular mantra. Video, both police-created and citizen-created, has become the singular tool for ensuring police accountability, reforming law enforcement, and enforcing the rights of victims of police misconduct. This Article explores procedural problems surrounding the use of video recording and video evidence to counter police misconduct, hold individual officers and governments accountable, and reform departmental policies, regulations, and practices. It considers four issues: 1) the mistaken belief that video can "speak for itself" and the procedural and evidentiary problems flowing from that mistaken belief; 2) the evidentiary advantages video provides police and prosecutors; 3) procedural limits on efforts to enforce a First Amendment right to record, such as qualified immunity and standing; and 4) the effects of video on government decisions to pursue criminal charges against police officers and to settle civil-rights suits alleging police misconduct.

Details: Miami: Florida International University, 2017. 39p.

Source: Internet Resource: Florida International University Legal Studies Research Paper No. 17-48: Accessed March 23, 2018 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3086092

Year: 2017

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 149554

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Police Accountability
Police Misconduct
Police-Citizen Interactions
Video Recordings

Author: West, Darrell M.

Title: Benefits and Best Practices of Safe City Innovation

Summary: Public safety is an important aspect of contemporary life. In a world that is chaotic, dangerous, and volatile, it is hard for there to be economic prosperity and social cohesion without some degree of safety. People need security in order to live day-to-day and undertake business and communications. This is especially the case in regard to cities. According to UNICEF, 70 percent of people around the world will live in cities by the Cities face a variety of implementation challenges, such as poor funding, infrastructure difficulties, public resistance, a lack of technical expertise, and privacy and security concerns. Implementation of public safety solutions represents a major challenge in many different places, and it is crucial for leaders to overcome these barriers in order to achieve the benefits of public safety innovation. Solutions such as CCTV cameras, police body cameras, integrated command centers using broadband trunking, social media safety alerts, and predictive data analysis show great promise as tools for law enforcement. Many factors affect technology innovation in the public sector. This includes the level of financial investment, crime rates, safety considerations, openness to technology solutions, and the strength of the digital infrastructure in particular countries. But government policy is especially important because officials make investments that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public sector operations. The way in which they handle modernization strategies matters a lot in terms of innovation and service delivery. There are many opportunities for cities to build their economies and promote social inclusion through public safety innovation. Cities can encourage greater innovation by increasing budget investments in digital infrastructure, building public support, using crowd-sourcing platforms to encourage citizen participation, breaking down organizational stovepipes through technology, overcoming organizational resistance, making data openly available, deploying data analytics, integrating solutions, figuring out how to balance privacy and security concerns, and identifying opportunities for improvement.

Details: Washington, DC: Center for Technology Innovation (CTI) at Brookings, 2017. 58p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 26, 2018 at: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/safe-city-innovation_final.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: International

URL: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/safe-city-innovation_final.pdf

Shelf Number: 149914

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
CCTV
Police Accountability
Police Technology
Police Use of Force
Policing
Public Safety
Public Security
Video Surveillance

Author: Cox, Stacie Leigh

Title: Law Enforcement Attitudes of Current Public and Departmental Surveillance Technologies: A Qualitative Case Study of the Toronto Police Service

Summary: This thesis explores the perceptions of front-line police officers surrounding synoptic and panoptic surveillance and the implications of police body-worn cameras on community relations, citizen's recording devices and police practice. The study involves a qualitative approach that utilized one-on-one, semi-structured interviews, in which participants were those members of the Toronto Police Service who wore body-worn cameras during an earlier pilot study of the device conducted by the Toronto Police Service. Police as a sampling group are very exclusive and hard to gain access to, as such this study relied on a snowball sampling strategy which resulted in a sample size of 7. While sample size is a major limitation of this study, these 7 interviews provided rich data that were able to provide a valuable and humanizing dialogue of police officers. Transcriptions of interviews were collected and thematically analyzed, resulting in commonalities among participant responses. These commonalities suggest that officers involved in the piloting project that were interviewed share similar perceptions and concerns of this new technology, whether it be positive or negative. Themes that were established include: Context; Synoptic Surveillance; Accountability; Police and Community Relationship and Trust; Impact on Officer's Job, Career and Routine; Officer Repercussions & Protection from Accusations; Officer Change in Behaviour Due to Surveillance Devices; Officer Physical Safety; Citizens Behavioural Changes and Reactions Body-Worn Cameras; Social Media; Privacy Concerns; Officers Favourability toward Wearing Body-Worn Cameras; and the Overall Impact Body-Worn Cameras have on Policing. Participants reported while this surveillance tool is beneficial in theory, in practice the implications of this device are increasingly negative on police practice and community relations. Study results are framed using contemporary theories of surveillance and concepts central to police legitimacy, and for the purpose of this research the culmination of these notions has been termed the Surveillance Accountability Framework. The concerns surrounding police body-worn cameras raised by this research should be considered for further research and improvement, particularly due to the increasing amount of police services planning on adopting this new technology.

Details: Kingston, ONT: Queen's University, 2017. 124p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 26, 2018 at: https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/bitstream/handle/1974/22788/Cox_Stacie_L_201709_MA.pdf?sequence=2

Year: 2017

Country: Canada

URL: https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/bitstream/handle/1974/22788/Cox_Stacie_L_201709_MA.pdf?sequence=2

Shelf Number: 149919

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Police Accountability
Police Legitimacy
Police Surveillance
Police Technology
Surveillance

Author: Big Brother Watch

Title: Smile you're on body worn camera. Part II - Police. The use of body worn cameras by UK police forces

Summary: Smile you're on Body Worn Camera Part II - Police reveals for the first time the investment police in the UK have made in equipping frontline officers with body worn cameras. Since 2010 the police, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and politicians have enthusiastically promoted the roll out of body worn cameras. The public have been told the technology is a critical tool in reducing violence against officers, improving transparency in police/public relations, assisting the police with the number of guilty pleas they obtain and will play an essential role in speeding up justice by being used as evidence in court. Off the back of such enthusiasm we felt it necessary to investigate how many police forces had invested in the technology, how many cameras were being used by frontline staff and if the benefits lived up to the promises promulgated by the various groups. Responses to our Freedom of Information request reveals that 71% have adopted the technology, with a total spend of $22,703,235 on 47,922 body worn cameras. This is a huge increase from 2010 when the police told us in response to a Freedom of Information request that they had spent $2.2million on 2,843 cameras. 1 With such an increase in investment it would be logical to assume that the police had determined conclusively that the technology was indispensable and worthy of such substantial spending, and that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) could show the extent to which footage from body worn cameras has benefitted conviction rates. However, this is not the case. Neither the police nor CPS could provide us with data relating to the use of footage in criminal proceedings. This makes it impossible to verify the promise of improved convictions based on the use of the technology. Furthermore, publicly available findings from the police regarding the outcome of the trials of the technology reveal inconclusive proof of the benefits to frontline policing and the public, and ongoing concerns with the technology itself. Meanwhile, academic research shows that the way the cameras are deployed can impact the safety and security of the police and public alike. If the plan for future policing is to provide every frontline officer with a body worn camera, proof of purpose is vital. Our findings reveal that such proof is far from conclusive. In light of our findings we make three policy recommendations: 1. Data must be collated and published to show how often body worn camera footage is used as evidence during court proceedings and in obtaining early guilty pleas. 2. Forces must publish regular transparency reports to show how body worn cameras are being used in day to day policing. 3. Forces should ensure that all body worn cameras deployed feature a visual aid and screen showing clearly when the citizen when they are being filmed. Protection of data when at rest or in transit must be standard. Key Findings Based on responses from 45 police forces2 - 47,922 body worn cameras have been purchased by UK police forces. - 32 Forces (71%) use body worn cameras. - 4 Forces (9%) were in the process of beginning trials or were planning on rolling out body worn cameras for the first time. - 6 forces (12%) do not use body worn cameras and do not have any trials or roll outs planned. - In total $22,703,235 has been spent on body worn cameras. - Neither the CPS nor the police told us how often footage has been used in court proceedings. - 19 forces use body worn cameras made by Reveal. - Axon (formerly trading as Taser International), supply 26,935 cameras to forces, including the three largest police forces in England the Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester Police and West Midlands Police. - 3 forces provided us with information relating to trials of body worn cameras which had been undertaken.

Details: London: Big Brother Watch, 2017. 27p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2018 at: https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Smile-Youre-on-Body-Worn-Camera-Part-II-Police.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: United Kingdom

URL: https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Smile-Youre-on-Body-Worn-Camera-Part-II-Police.pdf

Shelf Number: 149980

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
Criminal Investigations
Police Accountability
Police Investigation
Police Surveillance
Police Technology

Author: Hyland, Shelley

Title: Body-Worn Cameras in Law Enforcement Agencies, 2016

Summary: Presents data on body-worn camera (BWCs) use and non-use in general-purpose law enforcement agencies for 2016. Data from agencies with BWCs include number acquired, deployment, policy coverage, access to footage, and obstacles to use. For agencies without BWCs, data include alternate types of recording devices, primary reasons for not obtaining BWCs, and consideration of BWCs in the next 12 months. Highlights: - In 2016, 47 percent of general-purpose law enforcement agencies in the United States had acquired body-worn cameras (BWCs). - The main reasons (about 80 percent each) that local police and sheriffs' offices had acquired BWCs were to improve officer safety, increase evidence quality, reduce civilian complaints, and reduce agency liability. - Among agencies that had acquired BWCs, 60 percent of local police departments and 49 percent of sheriffs' offices had fully deployed their BWCs. - About 86 percent of general-purpose law enforcement agencies that had acquired BWCs had a formal BWC policy.

Details: Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2018. 20p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 9, 2018 at: https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/bwclea16.pdf

Year: 208

Country: United States

URL: https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=6426

Shelf Number: 153890

Keywords:

Body-Worn Camera Policy
Body-Worn Cameras
Civilian Complaints
Law Enforcement Agency Liability
Law Enforcement Technology
Officer Safety
Police Accountability
Police Surveillance
Police-Citizen Interactions
Police-Community Relations

Author: New York University School of Law, Policing Project

Title: Report to the NYPD Summarizing Public Feedback on its Proposed Body-Worn Camera Policy

Summary: In the coming months, the New York Police Department (NYPD) will launch a 1,000-camera pilot body-worn camera program, as required by the federal district court in the Floyd v. City of New York stop-and-frisk litigation. To ensure that its program responds to the interests and concerns of the communities it serves, the NYPD asked the Policing Project to assist the department in soliciting public input regarding its proposed body-worn camera policy. This report summarizes the public feedback received. Beginning on June 29, 2016, the Policing Project posted the NYPD's proposed policy online, along with a brief policy fact sheet highlighting its main points. Individuals and organizations were invited to share their feedback in one of two ways: by taking a brief questionnaire, or by submitting more detailed written comments. All of the materials - which were translated into seven languages in addition to English - were available at www.nypdbodycameras.org. The comment period ran for 40 days, concluding on August 7. The Policing Project received just over 30,000 questionnaire responses - 25,126 of which were from individuals who identified themselves as living, working, or attending school in New York. (We did not include in our analysis the nearly 5,000 responses we received from individuals who presumably were from outside of New York City.) We also received 50 sets of written comments from individuals and organizations. We describe at length below the feedback we received, but in summary: - Body-Worn Camera Program: Respondents overwhelmingly were in favor of body-worn cameras, and expressed the hope that use of the cameras would improve police-community relations, enhance officer and public safety, and improve the conduct of both officers and members of the public during police-citizen encounters. - Activation: Respondents generally were of the view that officers should be required to record a greater number of interactions than currently is called for in the NYPD's draft policy. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said that officers should be required to record all interactions with members of the public, and just over eighty percent favored recording whenever an officer approaches someone as part of the investigation of criminal activity. - Notification: A large majority of respondents said that officers should be required to notify people when cameras are recording, both in public and when entering a private residence. However, most of these respondents supported delaying that notification until officers felt it was safe to provide it. - Officer Review: More than two thirds of respondents said that officers should not be permitted to review their own body-camera footage until they have filled out a report describing the incidents - particularly when an officer is involved in a use of force. Throughout the report we use "Floyd litigation" to refer to three related cases - Floyd v. City of New York, Ligon v. City of New York, and Davis v. City of New York. The latter two cases challenged the NYPD's criminal trespass enforcement practices in New York City Public Housing as well as buildings enrolled in the Trespass Affidavit Program (TAP). - Public Access: Respondents urged the NYPD to establish a clear and streamlined process by which the subject of a body-worn camera recording could ask to see the footage. Respondents also favored releasing body-worn camera footage of high-profile incidents involving officers and members of the public either immediately, or after an internal investigation is complete. As we explain in the next section of the report, the solicitation of public comment on police department policies is in its infancy in the United States. The process described here - which occurred over a very short period of time, in the country's largest city - could not have been accomplished without substantial efforts by the NYPD, the plaintiffs' lawyers in the Floyd litigation, and numerous public officials and community groups. These efforts were entirely commendable, and resulted in substantial input from tens of thousands of New Yorkers.

Details: New York: Policing Project, New York University School of Law, 2016. 43p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 1, 2019 at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a33e881b631bc60d4f8b31/t/59ce7edfb0786914ba448d82/1506705121578/Report+to+the+NYPD+Summarizing+Public+Feedback+on+BWC+Policy.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: https://www.policingproject.org/dispatches/2017/9/21/nypd-asks-policing-project-to-gather-public-input-on-body-cameras

Shelf Number: 154767

Keywords:
Body-Worn Cameras
New York Police Department
Police Accountability
Police Surveillance
Police-Community Relations
Public Opinion
Stop-and-Frisk Litigation

Rutgers - School of Law, Newark

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