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Police torso-worn cameras are "pocket-sized video cameras—typically fastened to an officer'south clothing, helmet, or sunglasses—that can capture, from an officer's point of view, video and sound recordings of activities, including traffic stops, arrests, searches, interrogations, and disquisitional incidents such as officer-involved shootings." Proponents fence that police body camera programs increase police accountability, thereby strengthening the public trust. Proponents in law enforcement also say that body cameras are helpful in prove collection and protection. Opponents contend that these programs pose risks to private privacy, may hamper the efforts of law enforcement, and are costly.[1] [2]

HIGHLIGHTS

  • In 2016, 47 percent "of the 15,328 general-purpose constabulary enforcement agencies in the United states had acquired body-worn cameras (BWCs)," according to the U.S. Department of Justice's Agency of Justice Statistics (BJS).[iii]

  • In autumn 2014, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Los Angeles began pilot camera programs.[4]

  • A 2015 poll found that 88 percent of Americans supported the use of police force torso-worn cameras.[five]

    • Background

    History

    The U.S. Section of Justice awarded $23.2 million in grants "to expand the use of body-worn cameras and explore their impact."

    On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an eighteen-year-one-time resident of Ferguson, Missouri, was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson. At about apex on that day, Wilson observed Brown and a friend on the street. Noting that Brown matched the clarification of a doubtable in a convenience store robbery, Wilson asked the ii men to motility to the sidewalk. An altercation reportedly ensued betwixt Wilson and Brown. Ultimately, Wilson fired upon Brownish, who was unarmed. Brown did not survive.[6]

    According to the Washington Postal service, the events in Ferguson led to expanded apply of police trunk-worn cameras. On December ii, 2014, President Barack Obama (D) proposed that the federal government reimburse localities half the cost of implementing body-worn photographic camera programs. On September 21, 2015, Attorney General Loretta Lynch appear that the The states Department of Justice had disbursed $23.2 million in grants "to expand the use of body-worn cameras and explore their impact." The grants were given to 73 local agencies in 32 states.[4] [7]

    According to the Washington Post, "Only a few dozen departments, most of them modest" had implemented trunk-worn camera programs before 2014. In the backwash of the shooting in Ferguson, Washington, D.C., New York, and Los Angeles commenced pilot programs.[4]

    Usage

    In 2016, 47 percent "of the fifteen,328 full general-purpose police enforcement agencies in the United States had caused body-worn cameras (BWCs)," according to the U.S. Department of Justice's Agency of Justice Statistics (BJS).[3]

    Back up and opposition

    Arguments supporting body-worn cameras

    Proponents argue that police trunk-worn cameras are "useful for documenting evidence; officer training; preventing and resolving complaints brought by members of the public; and strengthening police force transparency, functioning, and accountability."[1] Jay Stanley, a policy analyst for the American Ceremonious Liberties Marriage (ACLU), wrote the following in a March 2015 policy paper regarding the use of police body-worn cameras:[8]

    " Although we at the ACLU generally take a dim view of the proliferation of surveillance cameras in American life, police on-body cameras are different because of their potential to serve as a cheque against the abuse of power by police officers. Historically, at that place was no documentary prove of well-nigh encounters betwixt law officers and the public, and due to the volatile nature of those encounters, this often resulted in radically divergent accounts of incidents. Cameras have the potential to be a win-win, helping protect the public against law misconduct, and at the same time helping protect police confronting false accusations of abuse.[9] "
    —Jay Stanley

    Additionally, a study conducted past George Mason institute that law officers said the cameras were helpful when collecting bear witness and for protecting themselves. "Officers and citizens both seem to believe that BWCs can protect them from each other," the study said.[ii]

    Arguments opposing body-worn cameras

    Opponents argue that body-worn photographic camera programs may make it more than hard for constabulary officers to perform their duties. Boston police commissioner William Evans argued, "I fearfulness that a lot of people, and the dialogue we accept going, a lot of people might not desire to have that interaction with us if they knew they're on camera or they're being recorded."[10]

    Opponents also argue that the implementation of body-worn photographic camera programs poses a risk to individual privacy, as footage from the cameras can sometimes exist subject field to public inspection. Matt Pearce wrote the following for the Los Angeles Times in September 2014:[xi]

    " Video from dashboard cameras in law cars, a more than widely used engineering, has long been exploited for amusement purposes. Internet users have posted dash-cam videos of arrests of naked women to YouTube, and TMZ sometimes obtains police force videos of athletes and celebrities during small-scale or embarrassing traffic stops, turning officers into unwitting paparazzi. Officers wearing trunk cameras could extend that public center into living rooms or bedrooms, should a telephone call require them to enter a private home.[9] "
    —Matt Pearce

    Additionally, opponents argue that the cost of outfitting officers with trunk cameras is non fiscally possible for every constabulary department. In 2018, later the Kansas Land Senate considered a bill that would have required officers to wear body cameras, country Sen. Rick Wilborn (R) said in an interview that smaller cities would likely accept a difficult fourth dimension complying with the requirement if it became law. He said, "Nosotros effort to be understanding, peculiarly with smaller counties. You can't mandate something that's onerous to the point of breaking a budget."[ii]

    Public stance

    Polls

    An Economist/YouGov poll conducted in April 2015 found that 88 pct of respondents in the U.S. supported proposals requiring police officers to vesture body cameras. The graphics beneath suspension downward these results by historic period, race, and political ideology.[12] [13]

    Reports on torso camera usage in the cities

    Police force body-worn camera policies by city, 2017

    In November 2017, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights released a report scoring torso-worn camera programs in 75 police departments.[14]

    The report scored programs on eight criteria, evaluating each department on whether it did the following:[14]

    "
    • Makes the department policy publicly and readily available
    • Limits officeholder discretion on when to tape
    • Addresses personal privacy concerns
    • Prohibits officer pre-report viewing
    • Limits retentivity of footage
    • Protects footage against tampering and misuse
    • Makes footage available to individuals filing complaints
    • Limits the use of biometric technologies[9]
    		"

    The table beneath summarizes the report's findings. "Yes" indicates that a department'south program fully met the criterion. "No" indicates that a program did non meet the criterion. "Partially" indicates that a program partially met the criterion. The table includes information virtually trunk-worn cameras in 57 of the 100 largest cities in the Usa; for the complete findings, meet the full report.

    Law body-worn photographic camera policies by urban center, 2015

    In Nov 2015, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights released a written report scoring torso-worn camera programs in 25 constabulary departments. According to the report, "[Law departments] are moving quickly to deploy torso-worn cameras, and are experimenting with a wide range of policies in each of the dimensions nosotros studied. Departments that accept a strong policy in one area often falter in another–every section has room to improve. At the aforementioned time, we are pleased to find examples of potent policy language currently in utilize for nearly all of our criteria."[xv]

    The written report scored programs on eight criteria, evaluating each department on whether it did the post-obit:[15]

    "
    • Makes the section policy publicly and readily available
    • Limits officer discretion on when to tape
    • Addresses personal privacy concerns
    • Prohibits officer pre-report viewing
    • Limits retention of footage
    • Protects footage confronting tampering and misuse
    • Makes footage available to individuals filing complaints
    • Limits the utilize of biometric technologies (similar facial recognition)[9]
    		"

    The table below summarizes the report'due south findings. A green check mark indicates that a department's program fully met the criterion. A red cross indicates that a program did not encounter the criterion. A greyness dash indicates that a program partially met the criterion. The 10 largest departments addressed in the report are included in the tabular array below; for the complete findings, meet the total report.[15]

    Police body-worn camera policies, November 2015
    Department Policy available Officer discretion Personal privacy Office review Footage retention Footage misuse Footage access Biometric apply
    New York

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    {{{1}}}

    {{{1}}}

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    		Unresolved Unresolved

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    Chicago

    {{{1}}}

    {{{1}}}

    {{{1}}}

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    Los Angeles

    {{{1}}}

    {{{1}}}

    		Unresolved

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    		Unresolved

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    Philadelphia

    {{{1}}}

    {{{1}}}

    {{{1}}}

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    		Unresolved

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    Houston

    {{{1}}}

    {{{1}}}

    		Unresolved

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    {{{1}}}

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    Washington, D.C.

    {{{1}}}

    {{{1}}}

    		Unresolved

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    		Unresolved Unresolved

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    Dallas

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    {{{1}}}

    		Unresolved

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    {{{1}}}

    		Unresolved

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    Phoenix

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    		Unresolved Unresolved

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    Baltimore

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    		Unresolved Unresolved Unresolved

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    {{{1}}}

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    {{{1}}}

    Miami-Dade

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    {{{1}}}

    		Unresolved

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    		Unresolved Unresolved

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    10px-600px-Red x.png

    State legislation

    Proposed land legislation

    The following is a list of recent bills relating to constabulary policy generally, and trunk-worn camera policy specifically, that take been introduced in or passed by country legislatures throughout the United States. To larn more most each of these bills, click the bill championship. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

    Notation: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, then no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislatures recently.

    News feed

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms police trunk camera. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    Come across also

    • Federal policy on law-breaking and justice, 2017-2020
    • Changes to policing policy in u.s. and 100 largest cities, 2020

    References

    1. ↑ ane.0 1.1 U.S. Department of Justice, Customs Oriented Policing Services; Policy Executive Inquiry Forum, "Implementing a Body-Worn Camera Program: Recommendations and Lessons Learned," accessed 2014 Cite mistake: Invalid <ref> tag; proper name "study" defined multiple times with dissimilar content
    2. ↑ two.0 2.1 two.2 The Pew Charitable Trusts, "Trunk Cameras May Not Be the Piece of cake Answer Everyone Was Looking For," January 14, 2020
    3. ↑ 3.0 iii.ane U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Trunk-Worn Cameras in Law Enforcement Agencies, 2016," November 2018
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.i 4.2 The Washington Post, "Issues over police shooting in Ferguson lead push for officers and body cameras," December 2, 2014
    5. ↑ YouGov, "Unlike Ferguson, the shooting of Walter Scott finds racial agreement," April xv, 2015
    6. ↑ The New York Times, "What Happened in Ferguson?" August 10, 2015
    7. ↑ United States Department of Justice, "Justice Department Awards over $23 Million in Funding for Body Worn Photographic camera Pilot Program to Back up Law Enforcement Agencies in 32 States," September 21, 2015
    8. ↑ American Civil Liberties Union, "Constabulary Torso-Mounted Cameras: With Correct Policies In Place, A Win For All," updated March 2015
    9. ↑ ix.0 9.1 9.two nine.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    10. ↑ PoliceOne.com, "Boston brass, police union fear torso cams on cops," December 3, 2014
    11. ↑ The Los Angeles Times, "Growing use of police body cameras raises privacy concerns," September 27, 2014
    12. ↑ YouGov, "Unlike Ferguson, the shooting of Walter Scott finds racial agreement," Apr 15, 2015
    13. ↑ YouGov, "The Economist/YouGov Poll, April 11-thirteen, 2015," accessed April x, 2016
    14. ↑ 14.0 fourteen.1 Leadership Briefing on Ceremonious and Man Rights, "Law Trunk Worn Cameras: A Policy Scorecard," November 2017
    15. ↑ 15.0 15.ane xv.2 The Leadership Briefing on Civil and Human Rights, "Police Trunk Worn Cameras: A Policy Scorecard," November 2015