The Quarterly
Winter 2017
The Quarterly
The Quarterly will keep our law enforcement agencies and their partners and supporters informed of developments, trends, and news within the BWC field and encourage involvement in our ongoing activities. The Quarterly  provides the most up-to-date tools and technical assistance materials for your continued success in navigating and implementing a long-lasting, successful BWC program. 
In This Issue: 
  • BWC TTA Team Spotlight
  • BWC TTA Recap
  • Key Trends in Body-Worn Camera Policy and Practice
  • Featured BWC TTA Resources
  • Latest Research on BWCs
  • Special Feature: Body-Worn Cameras in Small Agencies: Challenges and Solutions
  • Practices from the Field
  • BWCs in the News

Upcoming Events
  • Webinar: January 31, 2018 at 1:00 pm ET

Quicklinks


In Case You Missed It: Body-Worn Camera Policy Implementation Program New Grantee Webinar!
On Monday, November 20, 2017, from 2:00-3:00 PM ET, the BWC TTA Team hosted a webinar for the FY2017 BWC Policy and Implementation Program (PIP) Grantees. This webinar served as an orientation to the FY17 Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Body-Worn Camera (BWC) Policy Implementation Grant Program. During this webinar, sites heard from BJA and the training and technical assistance (TTA) provider, CNA Corporation. The webinar also familiarized the sites with the goals, role, and value of the program, provided introductions of the BJA grant administrators, and gave a brief overview of grant administration requirements. 

To view the entire webinar recording, click here.

For a complete list of the FY17 BWC PIP sites, visit our website.
The BWC TTA Team Spotlight
James "Chip" Coldren
Project Director

Dr. James R. “Chip” Coldren, Jr., is the project director on BWC TTA and is a managing director for the Safety and Security Division at the CNA Institute for Public Research. He has more than 35 years of experience with research; program and policy evaluation, policy development, advocacy, development, coordination, and delivery of training and technical assistance; and justice system reform. In addition to serving as the project director on BWC TTA, Dr. Coldren is also the national project director for the Strategies for Policing Innovation and the BJA Public Safety Partnership initiatives. He also serves as Principal Investigator on a national institute of Justice–funded research project to study equipment modalities and correctional officer safety.

Meet the rest of the BWC TTA Team here.
Key Trends in Body-Worn Camera Policy and Practice: A Policy Analysis of US Department of Justice-Funded Law Enforcement Agencies
The CNA Corporation, Arizona State University (ASU), and Justice and Security Strategies (JSS) provide TTA to law enforcement agencies who have received funding for BWCs through the BJA BWC PIP. Administrative policy review is a central feature of TTA. The TTA team developed a BWC policy review process to assess the comprehensiveness of BWC policies with a scorecard. This report describes the results of an analysis of policies from both FY 2015 and FY 2016 grantees. More specifically, the analysis includes all FY 2015 grantees that had their scorecards approved by BJA from January 1, 2016 (the inception of the PIP program), through September 10, 2016 (n=54). The analysis also includes all FY 2016 grantees that had their scorecards approved by BJA from November 1, 2016, through July 1, 2017 (n=75).

Through review of the 129 agency policies, we have identified 17 key BWC policy trends across 7 important BWC issues. Several of the trends involve substantial policy differences between FY 2015 and FY 2016 grantees.

To read the full report, click here.
Featured BWC TTA Resources


In View: Commentary from BWC Experts
In View is a resource that features commentary from BWC experts, including researchers, practitioners, and policymakers on emerging BWC issues . To date, In View has addressed BWC research, engaging external stakeholders, risk management, and lessons learned from the FY15 BWC PIP sites.

To view previous commentary, please visit our website.



BWC TTA Podcast Series
The BWC TTA Podcasts series provides a unique opportunity for law enforcement officers, researchers, and the law enforcement community to learn about a variety of topics related to BWCs. Listen on our website at your own convenience, and please don't hesitate to contact us with questions or requests for additional information.

To listen to the podcast series, click here.


Sample Policies of BWC PIP Sites 
An agency's BWC policy is essential to the success of its BWC program. To view example policies from BWC PIP sites, click here . 

These policies are provided with the permission of the agencies. Please note that these agencies strive to continuously review and update their policies to ensure that they meet the needs of the departments and communities they serve. 
Latest Research on Body-Worn Cameras

This study reports the findings of a randomized controlled trial involving more than 400 police officers in the LVMPD. We find that BWC-wearing officers generated significantly fewer complaints and use of force reports relative to control officers without cameras. BWC-wearing officers also made more arrests and issued more citations than non-BWC-wearing controls. In addition, our cost-benefit analysis revealed that savings from reduced complaints against officers and the reduced time required to resolve such complaints resulted in substantial savings for the police department. Considering that LVMPD had already introduced reforms regarding use of force through a collaborative reform initiative prior to implementing BWCs, these findings suggest that body worn cameras can have compelling effects without increasing costs. 

The purpose of this paper is to assess perceptions of BWCs among citizens who had BWC-recorded police encounters and to explore the potential for a civilizing effect on citizen behavior. From June to November 2015, the authors conducted telephone interviews with 249 citizens in Spokane, Washington, who had a recent BWC-recorded police encounter. Respondents were satisfied with how they were treated during the police encounter and, overall, had positive attitudes about BWCs. However, only 28 percent of respondents were actually aware of the BWC during their own encounter. The authors also found little evidence of a civilizing effect but did document a significant, positive connection between awareness of the BWC and enhanced perceptions of procedural justice. The study is among the first to explore attitudes about BWCs among those who have their police encounters recorded, and results demonstrate high levels of support in this population. Findings bode well for continued adoption of BWCs in policing.

In an effort to improve accountability and citizen confidence in the police department, former Chief Janee Harteau and the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), decided to evaluate the use of BWCs by officers. Staff researched and a conducted product search for BWCs. Research included the gathering of information on policies, best practices, required infrastructure, devices, costs and operational support. The goal of the test and evaluation project is to assess policy considerations, camera hardware and software functionality and BWC product and professional services. MPD officers from three police precincts tested BWC products-services from Taser and VieVu over a six-month trial period. The test began in November 2014 and continued until mid-May 2015. 

Under certain conditions, experimental treatment effects result in behavioral modifications that persist beyond the study period. At times, these modifications may continue  even after the interventions are discontinued. On the other hand, there are interventions that generate brief, short-term effects that “fade out” once the manipulation is withdrawn or when the in-study follow-up period is completed. These scenarios are context specific. This study reports the results from a three-year post-experimental follow-up from the world's first randomized controlled trial of police BWCs. The results show that initial falls in rates of complaints against police and police use of force during arrest were sustained during the four years after the cameras were introduced.
Special Feature: 
Body-Worn Cameras in Small Agencies: Challenges and Solutions
Janne E. Gaub, Michael D. White, and Kathleen E. Padilla, Arizona State University

With the implementation of BWCs across the country increasing rapidly, there has been little attention devoted to the deployment of BWCs by small agencies, and, as a result, our understanding of the challenges small agencies face is limited. In order to better understand how BWCs affect small agencies, researchers at ASU conducted a multistate survey of small law enforcement agency executives. The survey, which was administered via the online survey platform Qualtrics, was sent to all jurisdictions with a population of 8,000 or more in 26 states. The surveys were sent directly to city managers, and the instructions requested a completed survey from any jurisdiction with a police department with fewer than 100 sworn officers. The survey queried respondents on a range of issues including goals, benefits, challenges, and lessons learned. Respondents were asked to describe these issues at three different stages of their BWC program: planning, implementation, and post implementation (i.e, program management). We received 210 surveys, of which 149 were complete - an estimated response rate of approximately 5 percent. This report details the findings and five key substantive areas.

Key Findings
1.    Overall, 71 percent of respondents had implemented BWCs, and nearly 50 percent of those reported full implementation. Thus, it appears that BWCs are diffusing rapidly among small agencies as well as larger ones.
 
2.    The goals of small agency BWC programs are generally consistent with those of larger jurisdictions. Officer accountability and agency transparency were nearly ubiquitous goals. Enhanced evidence collection, reduced complaints, and the use of BWCs as a training tool were also listed as important program goals.

3.    The challenges for small agencies, although similar to those of larger agencies on their face, often presented themselves differently. Technology issues and funding constraints centered around limited resources, manpower, and infrastructure, and how these issues can overburden smaller agencies.

4.    Challenges related to policy development focused on the tight-knit nature of many small agencies and the communities they serve. Respondents repeatedly emphasized the importance of drawing on the expertise of other agencies similar in size and geography. Concerns about internal buy-in were particularly acute in small agencies.
5.    Small agency executives may need to ensure that the department’s goals for a BWC program align with the goals of other internal and external stakeholders. Such an alignment may require reframing those goals to remain consistent with the views of government officials, community members, or internal agency groups.

Lessons Learned
Executives in small agencies consistently pointed out that a collaborative approach is crucial to program success. Including internal and external stakeholders early and often significantly improves program effectiveness for everyone involved. Respondents also urged other small agency executives to consider initial, recurring costs, as well as long-term savings, when identifying the right vendor, and cautioned that in many cases, “you get what you pay for.”

References


To view the full report, click here .
Practices from the Field: 
Sturgis, Michigan
Body-Worn Camera Program :
Sturgis, Michigan, Police Department

The Sturgis Police Department implemented BWCs in 2015. When practical, we have also utilized them in most training areas including firearms, defensive tactics, active shooters, and driving.

As per our policy, we audit video from BWCs and use real-life situations for training officers. In using these videos, whether from training sessions or actual shift footage, we have found that reviewing and discussing what went right or wrong has become invaluable. Not only does it reinforce good behavior but it also helps officers understand that there are other, better, ways to accomplish the same outcomes.  BWCs also help as a visual and audio training tool for new officers, providing examples of how to deal with complicated or intense situations. Moving into the future, we expect this type of training and look forward to this becoming the norm in our after-trainings and debriefings.

To learn more about the Sturgis, Michigan Police Department, visit their website .

If your agency would like to be featured in our next Quarterly Newsletter, please contact us .
Body-Worn Cameras in the News
Citizen complaints about police have dropped since officers started wearing body-worn cameras, says Durham, North Carolina Police Chief C.J. Davis. Over the past year, the Police Department has issued 470 body cameras among its roughly 500 sworn officers, completing the roll out, Davis said. There have been fewer citizen and use-of-force complaints, Davis said during her quarterly crime report to the City Council on Monday night.
Body cameras are coming to a police officer near you next spring after the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a pilot program Tuesday. The pilot program will involve all operational uniformed patrol officers from the Mason and Mount Vernon district stations, and will involve 230 cameras over three months with an option to extend it to six months, according to a statement from the Fairfax County Police Department.
The Fayetteville Police Department begin using body-worn cameras on December 18, 2017, according to a news release. The cameras are part of an initiative to increase officer safety, strengthen police accountability, create a greater operational transparency and trust, while also providing for more effective prosecution and reducing complaints against officers.
Officer Angel Villaronga of the Baltimore Police Department credits his instinct for helping de-escalate a situation in West Baltimore on September 6. "I was hoping that was the outcome it was gonna be. I didn't want it to be a deadly force outcome," said Officer Villaronga.
The fatal police shooting of Miguel Richards in the Bronx was the first captured by (NYPD) body cameras. The NYPD believes the new technology combined with crisis intervention training will make everyone safer. The NYPD gave Lisa Evers, from Fox 5 News, an exclusive opportunity to wear a body camera and experience this cutting-edge training first hand with some sergeants.

 
Don't forget to follow us on social media!
Click on the icons below to stay up to date on all that
BWC TTA has to offer! 
Twitter   YouTube
Points of view or opinions in this content are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
This project was supported by Grant No. 2015-DE-BX-K002 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions in this content are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.