The Quarterly
keeps our law enforcement agencies and their partners and supporters informed of developments, trends, and news within the body-worn camera (BWC) field and encourages 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
- Spotlight on BWC Resource
- Featured BWC TTA Resources
- Latest Research on BWCs
- Special Feature: Developing a Crisis Communication Plan
- In Case You Missed It!
- Practices from the Field
- BWCs in the News
Quick Links
|
|
The BWC TTA Team Spotlight
|
|
|
|
Samantha Rhinerson
TTA Resource Coordinator
Samantha Rhinerson is the training and technical assistance resource coordinator for BWC TTA. She directs the management of resources for police departments and develops reports and memos for best practice solutions. Ms. Rhinerson also helps coordinate webinars, In View Commentaries, and resource development. Ms. Rhinerson works with over 20 subject experts in conducting regular status calls and provides TTA tracking support for the client. She also ensures that all requirements for the grant program are met in a timely manner. She works with the project manager to develop resources on a national scale.
Meet the rest of the BWC TTA team
here.
|
|
Spotlight on BWC Resource
|
|
Body-Worn Cameras in Law Enforcement Agencies, 2016
In 2016, nearly half (47 percent) of the 15,328 general-purpose law enforcement agencies in the United States had acquired body-worn cameras (BWCs). By comparison, 69 percent had dashboard cameras and 38 percent had personal audio recorders. Findings are based on the 2016 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics - Body-Worn Camera Supplement (LEMAS-BWCS) from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The LEMAS-BWCS was administered for the first time in 2016. Data were collected from a nationally representative sample of general-purpose law enforcement agencies (i.e., municipal, county, and regional police departments; sheriffs’ offices with law enforcement duties; and primary state and highway patrol agencies). The LEMAS-BWCS excluded federal agencies, sheriffs’ offices with only jail or court duties, and special-purpose agencies such as transit police and campus police.
To read the full report, click
here.
|
|
Featured BWC TTA Resources
|
|
|
|
BWC TTA Training Guide
The Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety at Arizona State University (ASU) has developed this facilitator’s guide and accompanying training slides as a resource for law enforcement agencies seeking to develop or modify their BWC training programs.
|
Site Requested TTA Meeting Summaries
As a part of the Body-Worn Camera (BWC) Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program, funded sites can request an on-site TTA meeting. During these meetings, sites receive assistance and presentations from CNA’s cadre of subject experts on topics relevant to their departments.
Read the report
here
and request your own TTA meeting
here
.
|
Ask a BWC Expert!
Have a BWC question? Complete and submit the
form,
and someone from the BWC TTA team will be in touch with you shortly!
|
|
Latest Research on Body-Worn Cameras
|
|
Abstract:
The value of body-worn camera (BWC) footage as evidence and the challenges and opportunities it affords case processing are, as yet, relatively unexplored. The current research examines the impact of BWC footage on prosecutors and defense attorneys in three jurisdictions: Monroe County, New York; San Diego County, California; and Travis County, Texas. We explore variations across the two groups (assistant district attorneys/public defenders) in terms of time, expectations, and anticipated consequences of BWC on their respective work in processing cases in local courts.
To accomplish this, we first briefly outline the concerns and research gaps in the current literature. Second, we introduce the three sites and discuss the sampling strategy and response rate for the survey. Finally, we present the results of comparisons between defense attorneys’ and prosecutors’ responses to a series of parallel questions posed in the survey. Notable areas of agreement and disagreement are highlighted in the report. Finally, we consider the results in the context of policy for BWC relative to its evidentiary value and contribution to adjudication.
|
Abstract:
In 2016, nearly half (47%) of the 15,328 general-purpose law enforcement agencies in the United States had acquired body-worn cameras (BWCs) (figure 1). By comparison, 69% had dashboard cameras including 80% of large agencies (500 or more sworn officers) and 38% had personal audio recorders. Findings are based on the 2016 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics - Body-Worn Camera Supplement (LEMAS-BWCS) from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The LEMAS-BWCS was administered for the first time in 2016. Data were collected from a nationally representative sample of general-purpose law enforcement agencies (i.e., municipal, county, and regional police departments; sheriffs’ offices with law enforcement duties; and primary state and highway patrol agencies). The LEMAS-BWCS excluded federal agencies, sheriffs’ offices with only jail or court duties, and special-purpose agencies such as transit police and campus police.
|
|
Abstract:
Since 2014, many police agencies have adopted body-worn camera (BWC) programs, in many cases with little to no evidence-base to guide implementation and policy development. The research has expanded significantly since then, with well over 70 articles now published on the topic of BWCs (Lum, Stoltz, Koper, & Scherer, 2019). These studies have identified several benefits of the technology, including increased transparency and legitimacy, expedited resolution of complaints, and evidentiary value for arrest and prosecution. Likewise, BWCs still present challenges, especially related to privacy and financial constraints. Much of the research has also focused on municipal agencies; to date, only one study has used data from officers in a college/university setting. This study uses survey data from collegiate law enforcement agencies to better understand how BWCs are used in these agencies. The survey was administered via the online survey platform Qualtrics and sent to the agency director on 611 college or university campuses; 126 surveys were completed (response rate of 20.6%). The survey included both open- and closed-ended questions about program goals, policy development, and perceived benefits and challenges associated with BWCs. Findings indicate that roughly half (49%) of agencies had fully implemented a BWC program, and another 13% were in the planning phase or had partially deployed the technology. These agencies viewed the technology positively, citing benefits like evidentiary value and complaint resolution. The most notable challenges included budget constraints, technical concerns, and privacy and public records compliance.
|
Abstract:
Police departments use body-worn cameras (body cams) and dashboard cameras (dash cams) to monitor the activity of police officers in the field. Video from these cameras informs review of police conduct in disputed circumstances, often with the goal of determining an officer’s intent. Eight experiments (N = 2,119) reveal that body cam video of an incident results in lower observer judgments of intentionality than dash cam video of the same incident, an effect documented with both scripted videos and real police videos. This effect was due, in part, to variation in the visual salience of the focal actor: the body cam wearer is typically less visually salient when depicted in body versus dash cam video, which corresponds with lower observer intentionality judgments. In showing how visual salience of the focal actor may introduce unique effects on observer judgment, this research establishes an empirical platform that may inform public policy regarding surveillance of police conduct.
|
|
Special Feature:
Developing a Crisis Communication Plan
|
|
|
|
BWC TTA
High-profile critical incidents and crises threatening the integrity, reputation, and standing of a law enforcement agency typically generate intense public scrutiny of a department. How department leaders respond to the community during these difficult times can affect public trust and, ultimately, support for the agency.
Establishing a plan and practicing it with smaller scale incidents, such as a weather event or a crime scene affecting commuters, is the first step toward managing the department’s messaging during a controversy. This article examines five important strategies that should be part of any agency’s crisis communication plan.
To view the entire document, click
here.
|
|
Webinar: Body-Worn Camera Community Education and Creating Reasonable Expectations
On April 3, 2018, BJA and t
he BWC TTA Team hosted a webinar on BWC community education and creating reasonable expectations. This webinar provided information about how and why it is important to educate the community on the limitations and benefits of BWCs. It also discussed the many considerations that must be taken into account when releasing BWC footage, including privacy concerns, victims’ rights, and ongoing investigation needs.
To view the entire webinar recording, clic
k
here
.
|
|
Body-Worn Camera Program:
Virginia Beach, Virginia Police Department
The Virginia Beach Police Department received a fiscal year 2017 Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) BWC Policy and Implementation Program (PIP) grant. Since the grant was awarded, the agency has successfully completed its policy review scorecard, confirming it completed a comprehensive and deliberate BWC policy development process. Virginia Beach's policy was reviewed by the BWC TTA team in February 2018.
The department took a very methodological approach to researching, planning, implementing, and evaluating its camera program. It is implementing a comprehensive plan for camera integration with CAD and in-car cameras and plans to procure sidearm triggers for holsters to automate BWC activation.
After considerable research and planning, Virginia Beach began rolling out cameras in July 2018. Following the first phase of camera deployment, it completed a full evaluation of the impact of the cameras on the end users and on the department’s associated business processes. After phase 1 deployment, Virginia Beach held a press conference and
media campaign
to share additional information on the cameras with local media and the community. The Virginia Beach Police Department is currently conducting additional outreach to criminal justice partners. This includes reaching out to prosecutors, judges, and public defenders to share videos, communicate prosecutorial priorities, and ensure that cases are being generated for prosecution and that attorneys can link cases and videos. The department plans to roll out the second phase of cameras this spring.
Virginia Beach previously leveraged the BWC TTA network for questions about implementation, and it now serves as a mentor for other departments. In 2018, Virginia Beach worked with Greensboro, North Carolina, (a 2016 BWC PIP grantee) on bandwidth and uploading requirements. Greensboro had previously completed significant testing on uploading BWC videos over an LTE network and was able to help Virginia Beach personnel understand bandwidth and uploading requirements to appropriately plan infrastructure. Recently, Virginia Beach advised a 2016 BWC PIP grantee on questions about automatic retention and deletion of videos. Virginia Beach will present
on the Technology Issues with BWCs panel
at the BWC TTA National Meeting in April 2019.
To learn more about the Virginia Beach Police Department’s BWC program, visit its
website
.
If your agency would like to be featured in the next issue of
The Quarterly
, please
contact us
.
|
|
Body-Worn Cameras in the News
|
|
Wichita police
(a FY2015 BWCPIP Grantee)
are getting upgraded body cameras for officers and new cameras for supervisors about two months after a captain said a police shooting showed the need for new technology. The department was already planning to outfit officers and field sergeants with the new Axon cameras before a motorcycle officer had difficulty turning on his body camera during a police chase that led to him shooting at the other driver.
|
|
Union County is about to become -- following what it states is "months of planning" -- the first county in New Jersey exclusively patrolled by local law enforcement to have all of its departments outfitted with body-worn cameras. Union County Prosecutor Michael A. Monahan, who earlier this year launched an initiative to ensure full countywide implementation, was joined by County officials and most of Union County’s 21 municipal police chiefs at the Andrew K. Ruotolo Justice Center in downtown Elizabeth to mark the occasion.
|
|
The Clarksville Police Department
(a FY2017 BWCPIP grantee)
is requesting community input about its body-worn camera program, as it decides whether to acquire more cameras for officers. The department released a community survey about the implementation of the body camera program. It is asking citizens to complete the online survey during the month of March. The department has had body cameras since September of 2018. It obtained them through a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice and Clarksville City Council.
|
|
Evanston aldermen Monday are scheduled to vote on an intergovernmental agreement with Evanston Township High School regarding the use of body-worn cameras by police in the school. The ETHS board approved the agreement on a 6-1 vote earlier this month. The agreement is designed to comply with state law that requires officers to activate their cameras in certain situations.
The Evanston Police Department was a a FY2016 and FY2017 BWCPIP Grantee.
|
|
There are now 380 officers wearing body cameras in Jacksonville, Fla., an increase of 170 in the last three months. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office first started rolling out its body camera program in October 2018. According to Action News Jax, about 19 percent of JSO officers and sergeants have been assigned to wear body cameras.
|
|
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. 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 US 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 US Department of Justice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
