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

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 Accused The 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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