Law enforcement agencies and community leaders recognize that body-worn cameras (BWCs) and in-car video systems can promote transparency, officer safety, agency development and reform, efficiency, and officer accountability. When considering acquiring BWCs or in-car video systems, or integrating the systems together, agencies must consider the unique capabilities of each. In this article, we briefly describe BWCs and in-car video systems, and then we discuss aspects of implementing BWCs, in-car video systems, or both. We cover consideration and principles that law enforcement agencies should consider based on practice and research. This discussion is not exhaustive, but it provides an accessible resource for law enforcement agencies and their stakeholders to start or further discussions on the implementation or enhancement of either system.

To read the full commentary, click here.

The BWC TTA team has just released a new resource: BWC Field Testing & Evaluation Form. This resource will help agencies evaluate the performance and suitability of different models of body-worn cameras (BWCs). The Field Testing Form (an Excel workbook) includes multiple tabs for field testers to record ratings of different aspects of BWCs, across different brands. As agencies implementing BWCs may consider many different aspects, the Testing and Evaluation Resource should be adapted to meet your agency's needs. Start with this template and modify as appropriate to streamline the information-gathering process and assist you with the vendor decision.

Download the Field Testing & Evaluation Form here.

This in-view commentary highlights the benefits and considerations of using BWC footage in After-Action Reports (AARs) and provides recommendations for incorporating them in organizational reviews of future significant events. We provide examples of how BWCs were used in AARs from the 2020 protests to support our recommendations.

Read the In-View here.

Over the last five years, police implementation of body-worn cameras (BWCs) has steadily become routine practice. With the number of high-profile police incidents occurring throughout the country, the public has begun to expect digital evidence to be captured and disseminated to the community in a timely manner. The growing demand from the public has placed increased pressure on police agencies to ensure that officers’ BWCs are activated during calls for service. To assist officers in this process, police agencies have increasingly begun to implement automatic-activation triggers (also called auto-triggers) to make sure that BWCs are activated during public encounters. In this in-view, we provide examples of how law enforcement agencies have used auto-triggers to offset any human error and increase the likelihood that an event is captured. We further explore some of the benefits and challenges associated with implementing this technology.

Read the full In-View here.