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The Weekly Snapshot
Your source for the latest tips, information, and current campus safety resources from the NCCPS.
Implementing a Body-Worn Camera Program
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Implementing a Body-Worn Camera Program: Resources to Help Sworn and Non-Sworn Departments


The use of body-worn cameras is becoming more prevalent among law enforcement officers and campus security officers can use the technology as well. In its report to the president, the Task Force on 21st Century Policing indicated technologies like body-worn cameras "can improve policing practices and build community trust and legitimacy, but its implementation must be built on a defined policy framework with its purposes and goals clearly delineated." The results of a study outlined in the 2014 Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) report, Implementing a Body-Worn Camera Program (PDF), show a number of perceived benefits for using body-worn cameras, including better evidence documentation and increased accountability and transparency. The report also notes factors that law enforcement executives must consider when implementing a program, such as privacy issues, the effect cameras have on community relationships and community policing, officers' concerns, data retention and public disclosure policies, and financial costs.


The University of Hartford Department of Public Safety (UHart DPS) is a non-sworn agency with approximately 40 employees that has been using body-worn cameras for over a year. During this time, body camera recordings have cleared officers in several citizen complaints related to motor vehicle stops, room searches and excessive force. To learn more about the UHart DPS body-worn camera program, including their policy, equipment, storage and management, challenges and success stories, click here (PDF) or contact Lieutenant Peter Bergenholtz by phone, 860-768-7823, or e-mail.


Many leading police membership organizations and federal agencies have produced guidance related to the complex privacy, officer safety, and policy issues involved in implementing a body-worn camera program. Several of these resources, along with the American Civil Liberties Union's proposed body camera guidelines, have been compiled for your convenience and are available on our website.
NCCPS Webinar Recording:  Framing Three Key Issues in Campus Public Safety

 

If you weren't able to join us last week for our inaugural webinar, Framing Three Key Issues in Campus Public Safety, you can view the webinar recording, access the speaker slides and download topic-specific papers on our website. We were happy to provide the opportunity for a panel of national experts to discuss three essential topics in campus public safety:
Click here to download the full report (PDF).
Office for Civil Rights Issues FY13-14 Report to President and Secretary of Education

At the end of April 2015, Assistant Secretary Catherine E. Lhamon of the US Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released the FY13-14 report to the President and Secretary of Education entitled, Protecting Civil Rights, Advancing Equity (PDF). This report, which is required annually under Section 203(b)(1) of the Department of Education Organization Act of 1979, covers three main topic areas: Title VI: Discrimination Based on Race, Color, or National Origin; Title IX: Discrimination Based on Sex; and Section 504 and ADA Title II: Discrimination Based on Disability.


Lhamon notes in her opening message that "OCR received nearly 10,000 civil rights complaints in each of the past two fiscal years-the highest numbers in OCR history... Additionally, we increased transparency in our work, ... and publicly releasing lists of institutions under investigation for civil rights violations" (referring to the initial release on May 1, 2014 of a list of 55 higher education institutions with open Title IX sexual violence investigations).


For institutions of higher education, the Title IX section highlights some important facts and figures. For the year reported, OCR received 5,800 Title IX-related complaints. To clarify, these complaints cover all aspects of Title IX, not just those related to sexual harassment and violence. You'll note that is a separate line item in the graphic below and those complaints total 854 and include elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools. According to OCR, 90 Title IX investigations were resolved, including 25 that resulted in a resolution agreement.

 
Number of Title IX Issues Raised in OCR Complaints

The report also details the establishment of the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, the NotAlone.gov website, and the release of the Not Alone report.


In addition, OCR noted that they resolved 3,665 complaints involving equal access to athletic opportunities and benefits for girls and women. This is still the number one complaint by issue that OCR receives, with 3,609 received in FY13-14.


The complete report is available to download.
Professional Development Opportunities

 

Title: Introduction to the Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview Within the Sexual Assault Investigative Response

Host: You Have Options Program (YHOP)

Dates: July 13-14, 2015 (Registration Deadline July 6 th )
Location:  Berkeley, CA

Fee: Registration Fee

Information and Registration

 

Title: Practical Application of the Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview Within the Sexual Assault Investigative Response

Host: You Have Options Program (YHOP)

Dates: July 15-17, 2015 (Registration Deadline July 6th )
Location:  Berkeley, CA

Fee: Registration Fee

Information and Registration

 

Title: 2015 National Sexual Assault Conference

Host: California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA), Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR), and National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)

Dates: September 2-4, 2015

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Fee: Registration Fee

Information and Registration
This project was supported by Grant No. 2013-MU-BX-K011 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the 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 Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the US Department of Justice.
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