DHS Announces First Department-Wide Policy on Body-Worn Cameras

DHS Announces First Department-Wide Policy on Body-Worn Cameras

  • Jun 02, 2023

As required by President Biden’s Executive Order on Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas recently announced the first Department-wide policy on Body-Worn Cameras (BWCs) for its law enforcement officers and agents. The Department’s plan will include a phased implementation of BWCs while working with Congress to secure the necessary funding to equip agents nationwide with BWCs.

Within 180 days, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies and offices will draft and issue, or update, their own individual BWC policies that meet or exceed the requirements set forth in the Department-wide policy.

The DHS-wide policy builds on pilots, testing, and phased rollouts at component agencies over the last two years:

  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection has already issued 7,000 BWCs to its workforce as part of an Incident-Driven Video Recording Systems program, with a phased deployment that began in August 2021 at Border Patrol locations across the southwest and northern borders, to be followed by select Office of Field Operations Special Response Teams.
  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted a pilot program, beginning with Homeland Security Investigations special agents who are members of the special response teams in Houston and El Paso, Texas; New York City, New York; and Newark, New Jersey, followed by Enforcement and Removal Operations officers in Atlanta, Georgia; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Indianapolis, Indiana.
  • The U.S. Secret Service also issued an agency-specific policy in compliance with the Executive Order.

“Our ability to secure the homeland rests on public trust, which is built through accountability, transparency, and effectiveness in our law enforcement practices,” said Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Today’s policy announcement is designed to advance these essential values. Requiring the use of body-worn cameras by our law enforcement officers and agents is another important step DHS is making to bring our law enforcement workforce to the forefront of innovation, and to further build public trust and confidence in the thousands of dedicated and professional law enforcement officers at DHS.”

The DHS-wide policy outlines:

Situations for use of BWCs

  • Used for law enforcement interaction with the public in response to emergency calls, pre-planned arrests, or during execution of a search or seizure warrant or order.
  • Among other restrictions, will not be used for the sole purpose of recording individuals engaged in First Amendment activity.

Agency Requirements

  • Within 180 days, DHS agencies and offices will draft and issue, or update, their own individual BWC policies that meet or exceed the requirements set forth in the Department-wide policy, including the responsibilities for law enforcement officers to carry, operate, maintain, and secure BWC equipment.
  • Ensure BWC programs are in compliance with privacy policies and that personnel are properly trained in the use of BWCs.

Law Enforcement Officer Responsibilities

  • Law enforcement officers are responsible for proper use of BWC equipment, including activation and deactivation, and storage and care of BWC data in their possession.

Although this policy establishes requirements for the use of BWCs, not all DHS law enforcement officers will immediately be issued cameras. Some DHS agencies and offices already have deployed BWCs to its officers and agents; others will begin to employ cameras as funding becomes available. DHS is working to secure the resources required to ensure full implementation of the new policy. Once DHS officers and agents receive BWCs, they will be subject to their Agency’s or Office’s policy.

The policy was developed through DHS’s Law Enforcement Coordination Council, a forum that allows the Department’s nine law enforcement agencies and offices to collaborate on law enforcement issues, with the input of stakeholders across the Department. This included subject matter experts from both the operational law enforcement agencies and DHS headquarters offices such as the Offices of Strategy, Policy, and Plans; Civil Rights and Civil Liberties; General Counsel; Privacy; and Public Affairs.

This new policy brings DHS into alignment with the Department of Justice’s policy on BWCs, released on June 7, 2021.

DHS encompasses nine operational law enforcement agencies with nearly 80,000 law enforcement officers and agents across the country.

Featured

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

  • Survey: 48 Percent of Worshippers Feel Less Safe Attending In-Person Services

    Almost half (48%) of those who attend religious services say they feel less safe attending in-person due to rising acts of violence at places of worship. In fact, 39% report these safety concerns have led them to change how often they attend in-person services, according to new research from Verkada conducted online by The Harris Poll among 1,123 U.S. adults who attend a religious service or event at least once a month. Read Now

  • AI Used as Part of Sophisticated Espionage Campaign

    A cybersecurity inflection point has been reached in which AI models has become genuinely useful in cybersecurity operation. But to no surprise, they can used for both good works and ill will. Systemic evaluations show cyber capabilities double in six months, and they have been tracking real-world cyberattacks showing how malicious actors were using AI capabilities. These capabilities were predicted and are expected to evolve, but what stood out for researchers was how quickly they have done so, at scale. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.