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Policing Body Cameras: Policies and Procedures to Safeguard the Rights of the Accused

In response to a series of high-profile police killings of unarmed people of color, law enforcement agencies across the country began adopting body cameras as a solution to requests for more transparency and accountability. In order to study the impact of body cameras on the rights of the accused, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers established a Body Camera Task Force comprised of defense attorneys from across the country. [Released March 2017]

Documents

  • Download the Report (pdf)


Cover for NACDL report Policing Body Cameras: Policies and Procedures to Safeguard the Rights of the AccusedThe Task Force heard from a wide variety of experts and studied academic reports and technical materials before compiling a list of ten recommendations to protect the rights of the accused in body camera jurisdictions. NACDL cautiously endorses the continued and wider use of body cameras if implemented with the policy recommendations outlined in this report.  With these protections in place, body cameras have the potential to better document encounters between police officers and citizens while mitigating competing concerns about their potential for misuse or abuse.

Watch the NACDL Webinar: Policing Body Cameras - Shaping Policies and Defending Cases in Body Camera Jurisdictions 

News of Interest

  • Editorial: Police body cameras are a plus, not a panacea, November 15, 2018
  • NACDL News Release, March 15, 2017
  • National report backs up civil rights concerns on JSO body cameras, by Ben Conarck, The Florida Times-Union, March 15, 2017
  • Public Defense News, American Bar Association, March 16, 2017
  • Report examines best practices for officer body cameras, by Andrew Hazzard, The Daily Republic, March 17, 2017 (See also Duluth News Tribune and West Fargo Pioneer.)
  • Criminal defense group releases recommendations for body cameras, by Radley Balko, The Washington Post, March 22, 2017
  • Justice Roundtable Newsletter, April 3, 2017
  • Sheriff's Office releases guidelines for body cameras, by Ben Conarck, The Florida Times Union, June 1, 2017
  • Key recommendations for policing body cameras | Opinion, by Daniella Gordon, The Star-Ledger, June 23, 2017
  • All eyes on the streets as Jacksonville cops prepared to record their beats, by Ben Conarck, The Florida Times-Union, June 23, 2017
  • New Baltimore Police Scandal Threatens Criminal Cases, by Eric Westervelt, NPR, August 8, 2017
     

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Strengthening the Sixth

The Center for Justice Innovation is a training and technical assistance provider to the Bureau of Justice Assistance through the Justice for All program. The Center for Justice Innovation (the Center) and its partner are managing, enhancing, and expanding the Strengthening the Sixth website. For more information about the Center, visit www.innovatingjustice.org. The Strengthening the Sixth Website is supported by Grant No. 15PBJA-22-GK-01567-JAGJ awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office of Victims of Crimes, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions on this website do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website, including, without limitations, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided.