Police Body Cameras?

The topic of police body cameras has been running like wildfire throughout local government all the way up to the White House.  President Obama and his constituents have seen so much value in body cameras that he's set aside $75 million in funds to help local law enforcement get their body camera initiatives off the ground. 

While I personally believe body cameras bring a level of transparency to often difficult situations, there are some considerations when looking to implement the technology in your department.

• Storage: The sheer amount of storage capacity that footage from body cameras will fill is almost unimaginable, but what can appear even more daunting is the security needed to ensure the integrity of the footage while it's being stored.
• Policy: This is something that will vary from department to department, but there will need to be clear guidelines on when an officer can and can't record with some discretionary leeway.
• Buy In: It'll be important for manufactures of body cameras to be able to articulate the message around the importance of the technology and how it not only helps protect civilians, but equally protects our law enforcement folks as well.

I only see this technology being adopted by more and more public departments around the globe.  Take fore example the firefighter going into a burning building.  Having the footage being captured by an infrared camera sent to a small screen in his/her helmet to determine the safest route.  This not only expedites the rescue process, but keeps the firefighters safer as well.

It's vital that we get local, state and federal government working closely with their counterpart from CJIS to ensure the success of police body cameras as the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.

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