Technology Resource

State and Federal Collaboration in Body-Worn Camera Implementation: Pennsylvania's Phased Approach

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) is statutorily authorized to undertake criminal and juvenile justice planning, coordination, and policy analysis. PCCD serves as the State Administrating Agency (SAA) that provides the state with a central source of planning, statistical analysis, and program development for the improvement of the state’s justice system. As the SAA, PCCD administers state and federal grant programs.

In-View: The Value of Using BWC Video for Training

Body-worn cameras (BWCs) are effective at providing agencies with an additional layer of accountability and transparency. In turn, BWCs help address community concerns, mitigate liability, and often provide the primary evidence to determine whether an officer’s actions were justified in the moment. Not surprisingly, the level of BWC adoption in police departments continues to grow, both because the technology offers many benefits and also because many states now require agencies to use them.

In-View: Using Auto-Triggers to Enhance Officer Activation During Calls For Service

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.

BWCPIP Site TTA One-Pager

The Body-Worn Camera (BWC) Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program offers several means of supporting the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) BWC Policy and Implementation Program (BWCPIP) grantees to achieve their BWC program goals and desired outcomes. TTA is also available to agencies that are not BWCPIP grantee when the topic is relevant and resources are available to address those agencies’ needs.

Access this resource here.

Webinar: Lessons Learned from Critical Incident Investigations

Webinar: Lessons Learned from Critical Incident Investigations

The webinar explored the overall management of critical incidents and the role that BWCs have within that incident management. The main purpose of the webinar was to provide guidance on the essential aspects of managing a critical incident and share insight on how agencies work with each other throughout the aftermath of a critical incident.

Site Spotlight: St. Louis County, MO Police Department

Missouri’s St. Louis County Police Department (SLCPD) developed helpful applications of body-worn cameras (BWCs) by integrating cameras from multiple sources into one readily accessible platform. The integration of BWCs with automated license plate readers (ALPRs), Missouri Department of Transportation highway cameras, and other video sources allows users to access video data from multiple sources. This integrated system is managed by the SLCPD Camera Systems Unit (CSU), which maintains the physical devices and processes all of the footage.

Corrections1 Guide: How To Buy Body-Worn Cameras

This Corrections1 How to Buy Body-Worn Cameras (BWCs) guide can serve as a starting point for your correctional agency's body-worn camera purchasing process. Please note, this is not an exhaustive list of all issues that should be considered when purchasing BWCs. Work with any necessary internal and external stakeholders involved with your agency to determine what you want to achieve by acquiring BWCs.

In-View: Use of Body-Worn Camera Footage in After-Action Reports

After-action reviews (AARs) are detailed internal examinations following significant events or critical incidents (e.g., protests, civil unrest demonstrations, police shootings, police ambushes). They serve to identify the positive practices and areas of improvement within an organization’s response with the goal of improving future responses. The 2020 civil unrest events in the United States prompted several cities and police departments to conduct AARs to evaluate law enforcement’s response.

Leveraging Body-Worn Camera Footage to Examine Officer-Community Member Encounters

Many departments use body-worn camera (BWC) footage for administrative purposes, such as investigating community member complaints and officer use of force. BWC footage can also capture and measure important aspects of officers’ interactions with community members. This one-page resource provides just a few examples of the types of questions an agency can answer with BWC footage in this regard.