CBP Agents and Officers Begin Use of Body Worn Cameras

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced in a press release last week that it is launching an initial body worn camera program. CBP has begun outfitting an initial group of officers and agents with body worn cameras to enhance accountability and transparency in its policing.

CBP Acting Commissioner Troy Miller explained, “Our agents and officers serve the public and protect our borders every day with great skill and professionalism. Providing them with state-of-the-art technology and tools like body-worn cameras will support their work and provide greater transparency into interactions between CBP officers and agents and the public.”

CBP is launching this body worn camera initiative as a part of its new Incident-Driven Video Recording Systems program. CBP expects to deploy 6,000 cameras by the end of 2021. The cameras are about the size of a deck of cards and, as explained in the press release, “the cameras will be running continuously in the background, and once an agent or officer activates a camera, it begins to save the footage starting two minutes before the activation of the camera.”

CBP has released additional policies and regulations that officers must follow when using the cameras, including information on when to activate their cameras. Footage will be kept based on the nature of the recorded incident and its evidentiary value The body cameras will help CBP document and review enforcement encounters and use of force incidents and investigate allegations of misconduct.

In 2014, CBP first conducted feasibility tests to explore the use of body worn cameras. In 2017, Congress mandated an additional evaluation of Incident-Driven Video Recording Systems technology, and CBP launched a six-month field evaluation in 2018. The evaluation recommended deploying body worn cameras to select Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations locations.

Other federal law enforcement agencies are also implementing body worn camera programs. In June, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a memo requiring its components to begin using body worn cameras when executing search warrants and making pre-planned arrests.