Street SMARTS in a SMART City
December 7, 2021
The Three “P’s” of Body-Worn Camera Policy
December 7, 2021
Do you have questions or concerns about police body-worn cameras? We’ve put together a list of handy resources from experts across the field to help. Also, visit our website or contact us if you have any further questions.
General Police Body-Worn Camera Resources
Body-Worn Camera Toolkit – The DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has created a comprehensive toolkit for body-worn camera implementation at your agency. It also addresses topics like research, policy, privacy, and technology.
Body-Worn Cameras (BWCs) – This is another landing page for the BJA which includes news, training seminars, and archives of all the published body-worn camera material.
Police Body-Worn Camera Policy and Law Resources
Body-Worn Camera Laws Database – The National Conference of State Legislatures has created a central location for the “State Body-Worn Camera Laws” which they update often. They address topics such as “Requirement to Use Body Cameras,” “Open Records Laws,” and “Eavesdropping Laws,” while also including information about funding and studies which have been completed.
Police Body-Worn Cameras Legislation Tracker – This tracker, put together by the Urban Institute a nonprofit research organization, breaks down existing statutes, recently passed legislation and pending legislation for police body-worn cameras both nationally and state by state.
Police Body-Worn Cameras: A Policy Scorecard – The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights along with a coalition of other civil rights, privacy, and media rights groups, joined together to create this scorecard of body-worn camera policy across the country. Aside from evaluating agencies for their current policies, they also included “Notable Policy Provisions,” which are policies they believe are particularly well done.
Police Body-Worn Camera Research and Studies
Implementing a Body-Worn Camera Program Recommendations and Lessons Learned – The DOJ’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) teamed up for this project. During 2013, they interviewed and surveyed police executives and law enforcement agencies across the nation to identify the issues they were having with body-worn cameras. From the information gathered, they created this report as guidance on the use of body-worn cameras going forward.
National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Research on Body-Worn Cameras and Law Enforcement – This link leads you to a page full of information about published and ongoing research on body-worn cameras the NIJ has funded.
Guidelines for the use of Body-Worn Cameras by Law Enforcement – Drafted by The Constitution Project this report is the work of a bipartisan committee made up of “law enforcement and military personnel, legal scholars, civil rights experts, and advocates and former judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys.” The final, consensus-based recommendations are aimed to “provide practical assistance to policymakers and law enforcement agencies as they are revising federal, state, and local policies to emphasize building trust and strengthening the relationship between communities and police.”
Police Body-Worn Camera Training Resources
Body-Worn Camera Training & Technical Assistance (BWC TTA) – Made up of staff from BJA, Arizona State University, CNA Researchers, and Justice & Security Strategies (JSS), the BWC TTA is a website that has lots of information specifically about training and technical assistance. There are links to webinars, podcasts, events, and resources.
State Body-Worn Camera Resources
California Police Chiefs Body-Worn Camera Resources – This document contains examples of body-worn camera policies and different system reviews.
Delaware Police Chiefs’ Council Best Practices – This memo provides “model policy guidelines” for body-worn cameras in the state of Delaware.
Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association Body-Worn Camera Policy and Resource Guide – A resource for Minnesota agencies to help navigate the issues around body-worn cameras.
Law Enforcement Sources for Body-Worn Camera News
International Association of Chiefs of Police – The website for “The world’s largest and most influential professional association for police leaders.” Check out news and events here.
Police Chief Magazine – The official publication of the IACP, there are lots of articles about body-worn cameras in their archives.
Major Cities Chiefs Association – The website for the MCCA which represents the largest cities in the U.S. and Canada. Another place to check out the latest news about body-worn cameras.
Police Executive Research Forum – This nonprofit is a “police research and policy organization and a provider of management services, technical assistance and executive-level education to support law enforcement agencies.” Resources and publications about body-worn cameras can be found here.
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) – The main website for the DOJ’s COPS program. Grant information and news can be found here.
Do you have any other resources to add? Tweet us or message us on LinkedIn. We’ll periodically update this list as new resources become available. Additionally, please visit our website or contact us with any questions you may have. Our team is here to help you succeed.
