Key considerations for effective use of police body cameras

Kevin Blake’s recent commitment to the implementation of body-worn cameras (BWCs) for the Jamaican police force is a positive step forward, but the programme's success hinges on rigorous protocols for use and oversight. As the system rolls out, it’s crucial to establish clear rules for camera activation, data storage, and access, along with robust independent oversight to prevent abuse. Effective regulation and regular audits are essential to maintaining public trust and ensuring that the BWCs achieve their goal of reducing allegations of police misconduct and improving transparency.

Body cam regulations

Jamaica Gleaner/13 Aug 2024

KEVIN BLAKE’S recent reiteration of the constabulary’s commitment to the use of body-worn cameras as well as his assurance that the system is on the cusp of implementation are welcome developments.

This project has been in gestation for at least a dozen years, since its declaration as policy by Peter Bunting, a former national security minister, in 2012.

However, in his broad outline of the status of the programme during his tour of police facilities in western Jamaica, Dr Blake, the police chief, did not deal with two potentially critical elements of the scheme: the integrity and oversight.

In other words, not only must the system be sound, but simultaneously with the full rollout of body-worn cameras (BWC), there must be protocols for their use; the storage of, and access to, images captured by the devices; and independent oversight to prevent abuse. There must be no loopholes through which the system can be manipulated or undermined.

The presence of robust regulations will be of as much benefit to the police as the public, given the trust deficit with which the constabulary still grapples. In any event, clear rules and accountability are merely the kinds of best practices that Dr Blake supports.

That he did not mention these elements of the BWC scheme on his western Jamaica tour was most likely only because it was not about this specific issue. The police chief, therefore, merely responded to questions and concerns posed at the time.

REDUCE ALLEGATIONS

The use of BWCs is seen as one way to help reduce perennial allegations by citizens of systemic abuse, including the use of excessive force, and up to extrajudicial killings, by the police.

But apart from declarations of commitment, the authorities have been slow in implementing the system despite the announcement of the acquisition of hundreds of body-worn cameras towards its buildout.

Indeed, the Independent Commission of Investigations, the body that investigates police shootings and complaints of abuse by the security forces, has consistently lamented its inability to get video footage from the police to assist in its inquiries despite many of the incidents being investigated being planned operations in which the use of bodyworn cameras could have been emphasised. Many of these cases involve civilians being killed by the police in what the constabulary characterised as gun battles after cops came under fire from criminals.

However, Dr Blake – who became police commissioner in March and who has a background in technology and project management – has insisted that the police force welcomed the move towards introducing BWCs and has been establishing the technological backbone to support the system.

“We have been working over the past two to three years building up that infrastructure, strengthening our ... data centre [and] ensuring that our network communications are adequate so that we can properly manage the products from these body-worn cameras,” he said during his western Jamaica tour.

The next move would be to procure cameras. These, presumably, would be in addition to the 400 that the national security minister, Horace Chang, a year and a half ago, reported had already been acquired, plus another 1,000 that should have been bought by last March.

Added Dr Blake about the police’s attitude to body-worn cameras: “This idea that police don’t want to wear body-worn cameras because of whatever intention is nothing further from the truth because as I have always reminded my officers – and I have heard from the officers themselves – that if you don’t have a camera on, you may be the only one not recording an incident from your perspective.”

He could hardly have been more explicit in his stance.

Which is why this newspaper is confident that Commissioner Blake is ready, and willing, to engage all stakeholders in ensuring that global best practices, including systems of oversight, are in place for the constabulary’s management of its BWCs.

GOOD-QUALITY CAMERAS

That starts with having good-quality cameras, with limited probability for their sabotage or misuses, and adequate, first-class arrangements for the storage of the data.

Indeed, there have to be clear protocols for when cameras must be activated and no ability for officers to edit images once they have been captured.

There also have to be regulations for the uploading of captured images and metadata to the storage environment, and the management of that database, so as to protect its integrity. Preferably, uploading is automatic and simultaneous with the recording of the image although this might be limited by the unavailability of wireless Internet.

Who has access to this database, and under what circumstances, will also be important.

These arrangements have to be regularly audited. While internal oversight must be the first line of defence against abuse, as is the case with many police departments, external surveillance and superintendence will, in Jamaican circumstances, also be vital.

This must be embedded in legislation. In that regard, the job might be made part of the functions of the Police Civilian Oversight Authority, with enhanced powers to command reviews.

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