Training Webinar

At this point in our experience with body-worn camera (BWC) implementation, agencies are realizing the potential of utilizing BWC footage beyond evidentiary purposes.

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.

Arizona State University (ASU), a BWC TTA project partner, conducted a survey asking BWC PIP 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.

On Friday, March 27th at 1PM ET, the BWC TTA provider hosted a webinar, Body-Worn Cameras: Reducing Risk and Ensuring Compliance. This webinar provided insights and imparted experiences regarding how and why police agencies review body-worn camera videos and audit body-worn camera programs for compliance. Presenters discussed how to strike the proper balance between compliance and discipline.

This webinar consisted of a panel of three experts from different sized agencies, who discussed their experiences with body worn camera compliance reviews and audits.

This webinar focused on addressing the challenges that agencies and officers can experience when initially implementing a BWC program, especially regarding officer concerns, questions, and hesitations. Panelists highlighted the importance of having officers directly involved in the initial processes when an agency is considering implementing BWCs.

The webinar provided a brief overview of the BWCPIP program goals. The main purpose of the webinar iwa to orient your agency personnel to the programmatic, financial, and administrative requirements of the grant, as well as to the training and technical assistance (TTA) elements of the grant. Both grant administration and TTA will be vital to successful completion of your BWCPIP grant.

This webinar served as an orientation to the FY18 Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program. The intent of this grant program is to help agencies develop, implement, and manage a BWC program as one tool in a law enforcement agency’s comprehensive problem-solving approach to enhance officer interactions with the public, combat crime, and build community trust.

This webinar examined several issues related to regional approaches to BWC program design and implementation, including the benefits from a regional approach, compromises that will likely need to be made, and planning considerations. The webinar featured a brief presentation on general issues regarding regional models in law enforcement, presentations from several BWC PIP sites that have successfully implemented regional BWC programs, and provided an overview of the key considerations that agencies should attend to during the planning phase of a regional BWC implementation.

This webinar focused on the use of BWCs beyond the police patrol function. In addition to police patrol functions, BWCs are being implemented in a variety of contexts including in courtrooms, city services agencies, schools, and university settings. During this webinar, BWC TTA Partner, Arizona State University (ASU), reviewed the findings from their report on the use of body-worn cameras in environments outside of the law enforcement setting.