The Quarterly keeps our law enforcement partners, their agencies, and supporters informed of developments, trends, and news within the body-worn camera (BWC) field, and is meant to encourage involvement in our ongoing activities.
The Quarterly describes the most up-to-date tools and technical assistance (TTA) materials for your continued success in navigating and implementing a long-lasting, successful BWC program.
|
|
In this Issue:
- BWC TTA Team Spotlight
-
Spotlight on BWC Resource: Infographic: Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency
- Featured BWC TTA Resources
- Latest Research on BWCs
-
Special Feature: Assessing BWC implementation in Milwaukee, WI, with a randomized controlled trial
- In Case You Missed It!
- Practices from the Field
- BWCs in the News
Quick Links
|
|
The BWC TTA Team Spotlight |
|
Geoff Smith
BWC TTA Subject Matter Expert
|
|
The BWC TTA team partners include CNA, Arizona State University (ASU), Justice and Security Strategies (JSS), and a network of experts in BWCs. Our TTA includes a wide variety of topics, such as the role of BWCs in use of force, BWC policy and procedures, technology, community collaboration, prosecution, crime prevention, and research regarding BWCs.
Geoff Smith is a Senior Advisor in CNA’s Center for Justice Research and Innovation. He is an expert on law enforcement and fire policies, operations, and oversight. Prior to joining CNA he served as the Public Safety Director of the City of Sturgis, MI from 2013-2020, served in law enforcement for more than 26 years, and firefighting for more than 10 years. Geoff has substantial expertise in technology including deployment of in-car and BWC systems, and active shooter training. Currently, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Management & Organizational Development from Spring Arbor University and is a certified instructor and specialist in various disciplines including computer and cell phone forensics. He has served as President of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police and of the Western Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police. He is a former member of L.E.A.F, a group of chiefs, litigation attorneys and the Michigan Municipal League, that develops “Best Practices” policies for law enforcement agencies across the state. Geoff has presented on numerous public safety topics at annual conferences of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, the Michigan Municipal League, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Learn more about BWC TTA analysts here.
|
|
Spotlight on BWC Resource |
|
Infographic: Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency |
|
|
|
The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) is statutorily authorized to undertake criminal and juvenile justice planning, coordination, and policy analysis. PCCD coordinates and supports FY2018 and FY2019 BWCPIP grantees, with over 100 agencies within PCCD having received funding to date. This infographic provides information on the benefits of a regional approach to BWC implementation, and different information on PCCD regarding program types, how BWC evidence is stored, how many BWCs are purchased by each agency, and total PCCD funding by year.
|
|
Featured BWC TTA Resources |
|
|
|
Directories of Outcomes
Practitioners, policy makers, and researchers face two key problems when assessing the relevant research:
1. It is difficult to keep up with the quickly growing body of research on body-worn cameras.
2. It is difficult to make sense of findings that vary considerably across studies.
The Directories of Outcomes provide a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of the existing research by study outcome. Access the directories here.
|
In View: Commentary from BWC Experts
In View Commentaries feature thoughts, opinions, and experiences from BWC experts, including researchers, practitioners, and policy makers.
Read the recent In View here:
|
BWC TTA Podcasts
The Body-Worn Camera TTA Podcasts provide a unique opportunity for law enforcement officers, researchers, and the law enforcement community to learn about a variety of topics related to body-worn cameras, such as trends in BWC policies, options for mounting BWCs, and technological capabilities of the cameras. Our most recent episode covers the use of BWCs in after-action reviews. The podcasts are available for you to listen to at your convenience on our website and on various podcast channels. Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions, requests for additional information, or to suggest additional podcast topics.
To subscribe to our podcast, visit the BWC TTA website or click on one of the images to the left for the various channels.
|
|
Latest Research on Body-Worn Cameras |
|
Abstract: We provide experimental evidence that monitoring of the police activity through body-worn cameras reduces use-of-force, handcuffs and arrests, and enhances criminal reporting. Stronger treatment effects occur on events classified ex-ante of low seriousness. Monitoring effects are moderated by officer rank, which is consistent with a career concern motive by junior officers. Overall, results show that the use of body-worn cameras de-escalates conflicts.
|
|
Objectives: To assess the effects of BWCs on prosecutorial and court-related charge outcomes across multiple crime types, including domestic violence charges, crimes committed against police officers, and drug/alcohol charges.
Methods: A cluster-randomized controlled trial with 22 spatiotemporal police units assigned to BWCs and 17 assigned to control conditions. Data from the State Attorney’s Office were used to track convictions, adjudication withheld dispositions, and declined prosecutions for both experimental and control charges. A series of multilevel logistic and negative binomial regression models were used to estimate the effect of BWC footage on charge outcomes.
Outcomes: BWCs led to a significantly higher proportion of crimes against police officers resulting in convictions or adjudication withheld outcomes, and a significantly higher proportion of domestic violence charges resulting in convictions alone, compared to control charges. However, after the clustering effect was taken into account, only the effect of BWCs on crimes against police officers remained statistically significant.
Conclusion: These early results suggest that BWCs have significant evidentiary value that varies by crime type. BWCs may be best suited to capture evidence.
|
|
Special Feature:
Assessing BWC implementation in Milwaukee, WI, with a randomized controlled trial
|
|
|
|
On this episode of LE Tech Talks, BWC TTA Outreach Coordinator and Analyst Quin Patterson sat down with Milwaukee, WI Police Chief Ed Flynn, and researchers Dr. Bryce Peterson and Dr. Dan Lawrence. These experts discussed the assessment of the Milwaukee, WI Police Department's BWC program via a randomized controlled trial.
Throughout six months in 2016, patrol officers and sergeants from the Milwaukee, WI Police Department were involved in a randomized controlled trial. Dr. Peterson, Dr. Lawrence, and Chief Flynn spoke on what researchers and practitioners can learn from working with each other, community perceptions of BWCs in Milwaukee, WI, and findings from the randomized controlled trial.
|
|
Listen to the episode here.
|
|
Webinar: BWC Effects on Organizational and Individual Outcomes: Findings from the Latest Research |
|
This webinar explored the latest research on the effect of BWCs on organizational and individual outcomes.
Dr. Mike White provided introductory remarks, and Dr. Charles Katz facilitated the session. Speakers, Dr. Jennifer Wood (Temple University), Dr. Joel Miller (Rutgers University), and Dr. John McCluskey (Rochester Institute for Technology), presented on their most recent body-worn camera research findings. Dr. Wood’s project, titled “Behaving better in front of the lens: Possibilities of change according to police and residents in Philadelphia”; Dr. Miller’s project, titled “Do Police Body-Worn Cameras (BWCs) Reduce Citizen Fatalities? Results of a country-wide natural experiment”; and Dr. McCluskey’s project, titled “Video Data Analysis and Police Body-Worn Camera Footage” contribute to our broader knowledgebase surrounding the effects of BWCs across a range of outcomes.
|
|
Gathering Internal Feedback On BWC Policy
In a recent check-in with Tampa PD, representatives discussed a survey they had created for their department to collect internal feedback for the betterment of their BWC program. It may not be a common practice inside most agencies, but could pay great dividends.
The survey consists of around 20 questions and follows a topic order similar to the department's BWC policy manual, allowing them to refer to the policy and the survey side-by-side. Some questions have yes/no choices, and all have open-ended sections where officers can freely voice their thoughts on the specific question or topic. These range from the overall clarity of the BWC policy, to whether an officer disagrees with or doesn't understand specific parts of the policy.
The department issued this survey concurrently with their usual 6-month policy review, and found that the results were largely positive with minimal requests for change. They've since approved of having their survey sent to other agencies to serve as an example of something positive to do during or following BWC implementation.
We often talk about gathering feedback from officers on the utility of BWCs, and gathering their feedback on BWC policy can be just as important. BWC policy drives utility, and the officers that use these cameras every day likely have very useful feedback on what works and what can be improved in that regard.
|
|
If your agency would like to be featured in the next issue of The Quarterly, please contact us.
|
|
Body-Worn Cameras in the News |
|
https://forestparkreview.com
|
Every on-duty member of the Forest Park, IL Police Department is now recording most public interactions using a body-worn camera, a milestone reached years before a revised state law mandates departments across Illinois do the same. |
|
https://www.thechiefleader.com
|
The Civilian Complaint Review Board lacks sufficient access to the NYPD’s body-worn-camera footage to diligently perform investigations into allegations of police misconduct, a report from the city’s Department of Investigation has concluded. |
|
A growing number of states’ prison systems are outfitting guards with body-worn cameras, even in correctional environments already covered by thousands of stationary security cameras. Agencies hope the extra cameras will help reduce violence and hold both inmates and guards accountable, although experts and unions question their usefulness on top of existing cameras. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction hopes to announce by year’s end which of four companies has won a contract estimated at about $17 million a year. |
|
A growing number of state prison systems will soon require guards to wear body cameras or are considering laws that would put such requirements in place. Prison systems hope the body cameras will help reduce violence and hold both inmates and guards accountable. One skeptical group is the union for prison guards in Ohio. They think funding should go toward hiring more guards. Another pushback is that prisons already have many stationary cameras in place. |
|
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!
|
|
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 US Department of Justice. |
|
This project was supported by Grant No. 2019-BC-BX-K001 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. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
