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 materials for your continued success in navigating and implementing a long-lasting, successful BWC program.
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In this Issue:
- BWC TTA Team Spotlight
- Spotlight on BWC Resource: The Role of Body-Worn Cameras (BWCs) in Recent Public Protests Webinar Series
- Featured BWC TTA Resources
- Latest Research on BWCs
- Special Feature: BWC Site Spotlight: Wichita, Kansas
- In Case You Missed It!
- Practices from the Field
- BWCs in the News
Quick Links
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The BWC TTA Team Spotlight |
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Rachel Johnston, PhD
BWC TTA Project Manager
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The BWC TTA team consists of CNA, Arizona State University (ASU), Justice and Security Strategies (JSS), and a network of experts in BWCs along a wide variety of topics, such as use of force, policy and procedures, technology, community collaboration, prosecution, crime prevention, and justice research.
Dr. Rachel Johnston is the Project Manager for the BWC TTA project and a Senior Research Scientist for the Center for Justice Research and Innovation at CNA. She has over 20 years of experience in research and analysis and project management. Her areas of expertise include policing organizations and policy, criminal justice systems reform, violence prevention, and justice systems collaboration. In addition to the BWC TTA project, Dr. Johnston supports the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) National Public Safety Partnership, Strategies for Policing Innovation, and the Justice Reinvestment Initiative. She works directly with law enforcement agencies and their stakeholders to coordinate and deliver TTA, guide analyses, share and document best practices, and evaluate program effectiveness.
Learn more about BWC TTA project team here.
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Spotlight on BWC Resource |
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Part I: The Role of Body-Worn Cameras (BWCs) in Recent Public Protests in Larger Agencies: Benefits, Challenges and Solutions
Arizona State University (ASU), a BWC TTA project partner, conducted a survey asking BJA-funded BWC sites about their experiences with the recent protests, the value that BWCs added, challenges and problems each agency experienced, and solutions their agency implemented to overcome those challenges and problems.
In Part I of two webinars on this topic, Dr. Michael White from ASU discussed the results from this survey, with a focus on larger agencies, and the impact BWCs have had. Joining him, we heard from Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll, Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department on their experiences in their jurisdiction. Concluding the webinar, Dr. Ed Maguire discussed the principles of effectively policing protests, while reviewing how BWCs can help agencies achieve those principles.
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Part II: The Role of Police Body-Worn Cameras in Recent Public Protests in Smaller Agencies: Benefits, Challenges, and Solutions
It is important to acknowledge that the implementation of body-worn cameras (BWCs) affects various operations and administration, as well as internal and external stakeholders, in significant ways. We are in a critical time in history where this technology can assist law enforcement agencies during protests and other First Amendment events.
In the second of two webinars on this topic, Dr. Michael White facilitated a discussion on BWC use during protests, speaking with two smaller agencies, Fort Smith, AR, police department & Jonesboro, AR, police department, on their experiences. He also discussed the results from the survey, with a focus on smaller agencies and the impact BWCs have had on them.
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Featured BWC TTA Resources |
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Directories of Outcomes
The research base on the impact of police body-worn cameras (BWCs) has grown rapidly, and over time, the results have become increasingly mixed. This development poses two problems:
- It is difficult to keep track of the quickly growing evidence base.
- It is difficult to make sense of the sometimes competing findings across studies.
These Directories of Outcomes provide a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of the existing research by outcome. Access the directories here.
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In View: Commentary from BWC Experts
In View Commentaries feature commentary from BWC experts, including researchers, practitioners, and policy makers.
Read the recent In View here:
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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. 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.
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Latest Research on Body-Worn Cameras |
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Abstract: Police body-worn cameras (BWCs) can help improve transparency, accountability, and policing behaviors. This study extends prior BWC research by using a panel analysis design with a measure of treatment duration to examine how the effects of BWCs change over time. Using data from the Milwaukee Police Department (N = 1,009), we propose and test two competing hypotheses: The program maturity hypothesis suggests that BWCs will be more effective at reducing use of force and complaints over time, whereas the program fatigue hypothesis expects BWCs to be less effective the longer officers wear BWCs. We find that BWCs reduced complaints overall and that, over time, each additional month with a camera resulted in 6% fewer complaints. There was no overall relationship between BWCs and use of force, but our treatment duration model suggests that there was an immediate decrease in use of force incidents, followed by a gradual increase in subsequent months.
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Abstract: The research on police body-worn cameras (BWCs) has rapidly expanded to evaluate the technology’s impact on a range of police outcomes. Far fewer studies have addressed the various effects on downstream criminal justice actors, and those that do have focused almost entirely on prosecutors. Thus, public defenders have remained on the periphery of the police BWC discussion, despite playing an important role as an end-user of the technology. This study draws on qualitative data from focus groups with public defenders in the Commonwealth of Virginia to discuss the perception of BWCs as neutral observers in a police–citizen encounter. We then provide implications and recommend avenues for future research.
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Abstract: This study used a critical communication conceptual framework merging the diffusion of innovation and policy feedback theory to demonstrate how policies can be formed and implemented through engaging the community. At present, there is no uniform policy for Body Worn Cameras footage release. This study revealed a gap in the research on how families and communities are impacted when [the release of] BWC video is delayed. Results showed that both the community and victim’s family members are requesting changes to community policing initiatives. Findings revealed having the community involved when polices are developed or reviewed is vital to establishing relationships with law enforcement.
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Abstract: With the introduction of body worn cameras, new data types have emerged, including activation metadata, which is information on the extent of the implementation of body worn cameras, by whom, and under what conditions. In this paper, we propose an avenue of methodological interest: linking activation metadata with police-recorded behaviour. We take the case of complaints to examine the use of these data for investigations of officers’ misconduct. We used an observational approach, analysing 1.73 million body worn camera activations by more than 3900 frontline officers, juxtaposed with professional conduct data. We find a heterogeneous distribution of implementation, despite a ‘blanket’ body worn camera policy requiring activation. Specifically, distinct types of officers disproportionally under-activate body worn cameras. We show that body worn cameras activation rates are inversely correlated with complaints, although minimally when observed at the population level. We discuss the use of metadata for research as well as for policy.
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Special Feature:
Body-Worn Camera Site Spotlight:
Wichita, Kansas
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Many people know Wichita, Kansas, as the “air capital of the world,” or as the birthplace of both White Castle and Pizza Hut. Wyatt Earp also worked as a Wichita police officer long before the famed 1881 shootout at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. More recently, we recognize Wichita as an early adopter and innovator of police body-worn cameras (BWCs). The Wichita Police Department (WPD) first deployed a pilot BWC program with 20 cameras in February 2011, and it was among the inaugural grantees in the first year (2015) of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) BWC Policy and Implementation Program (PIP). The PIP grant allowed the department to issue cameras to all 429 patrol officers. In 2018, WPD received additional BJA BWC PIP funding to outfit its patrol supervisors with BWCs. The deployment of BWCs to patrol supervisors led to internal discussions about which other units in the department could benefit from having cameras, most notably the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team.
Read the full document here.
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In a small law enforcement agency, the responsibility for implementing the BWC program often falls to a small number of people. This can present challenges for implementing aspects of the program that require specific knowledge (e.g., IT, community engagement, public release of video, and discovery requests).
During this webinar, we discussed challenges and lessons learned from implementing BWCs in a small agency, focusing on agency personnel responsible for implementing the BWC technology.
BWC TTA Senior Advisor, Tom Woodmansee, facilitated a conversation with three BWC TTA advisors:
- Assistant Chief Orlando Cuevas (ret.);
- Director Geoff Smith (ret.); and
- Shellie Solomon, CEO of Justice and Security Strategies.
The panel discussed technology-related implementation topics and challenges that small agencies often experience, such as those associated with testing and evaluation, legacy technology considerations, and vendor selection. The panelists also discussed ways they have seen small agencies overcome these challenges, and the benefits of implementing BWCs in small agencies.
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Pitt County, NC, Sheriff's Office:
Community Education about BWCs
The County of Pitt is located in eastern North Carolina in a rural area located just inland off the coast of North Carolina and east of I-95. The County is home to over 177,200 residents. In 2019, the Pitt County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) was granted a Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program (PIP) grant in coordination with the Pitt County Government Legal Division, the Pitt County District Attorney’s Office, the Greenville Police Department, law enforcement-based victim advocates, and local non-profit victim services programs, specifically the Center for Family Violence Prevention.
The Sheriff’s Office, in an effort to enhance transparency, strengthen officer performance and accountability, improve the quality of evidence, assist in the investigation of complaints, and to increase the level of community trust, is outfitting all 130 sworn officers.
With their deployment of BWCs, the PCSO developed a 9-minute video to educate residents about their BWC program. PCSO shared the video with the public on their Facebook page and on YouTube. The PCSO Public Information Officer developed the video with a volunteer actor from the community and deputies from the sheriff’s office.
To view the video, click here.
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If your agency would like to be featured in the next issue of The Quarterly, please contact us.
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Body-Worn Cameras in the News |
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Cherry Hill, NJ, police are exploring ways that they can improve the activation of their Axon body worn camera systems, the police department announced. The department uses a small sensor which is mounted to the holster of each individual officer. It monitors when an officer draws their weapon from the holster and automatically activates all the cameras including those mounted in radio patrol cars which are in the vicinity of that officer. Giving officers the ability to have their cameras switch on automatically takes the responsibility off the officer to activate the recording systems during times of unanticipated stress or confrontations, according to the Cherry Hill Police Department. This technology is relatively new to our area and will increase the likelihood of an entire incident being documented for later analysis, police said. The department is targeting the early part of 2021 to deploy the sensors to all patrol officers and detectives. |
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The Department of Justice (DoJ) announced that it will allow state, local, territorial, and tribal task force officers to use body-worn cameras on Federal task forces nationwide. Under the new policy, Federally deputized officers will be allowed to activate a body-worn camera while serving arrest warrants, or during other planned arrest operations, and during the execution of search warrants. In an Oct. 30 press release, the DoJ noted that the policy is the result of a pilot program launched last October which ran from January to September 2020. The policy will impact state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement officers who partner with the DoJ through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the FBI; and the U.S. Marshals Service. |
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Quincy, FL, police officers will now be recording their encounters with citizens via worn body cameras. On Monday, Quincy Police officers began using body-worn cameras while working. "Like hundreds of other agencies across the country QPD hope that by using cameras it will increase officer safety and also increase crime scene evidence," the department wrote in a release sent Tuesday. |
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The West Newbury, MA, Police Department was one of more than 160 law enforcement agencies across the state to receive federal grant funding intended to provide equipment and strengthen training, as well as support crime prevention and enforcement initiatives. Police Chief Jeff Durand announced his department was awarded $19,838 for equipment to help identify criminals and bring them to justice. A total of $7.8 million in federal grant funding was made possible through the Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Other area police departments receiving funding include: Haverhill, $12,980, for radar speed signs; Ipswich, $15,000, body worn cameras and a docking station; Merrimac, $31,322, portable radios and accessories; Newburyport, $20,000, body worn cameras; Rowley, $40,000, body worn cameras; Salisbury, $36,970, bulletproof vests and body cameras; and Topsfield, $38,261, LIDAR units, radar and signboard trailers, radar units and radar display. |
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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. |
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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. |
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