Justice Department Requires Federal Officers to Wear Body Cameras
In a memo released June 7, 2021, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced that it will be a requirement for federal agents in the Department of Justice (DOJ) to wear body cameras when they are executing search warrants or making pre-planned arrests.
This move comes as hundreds of police forces around the country are implementing body camera policies to promote accountability and transparency in policing.
Monaco explained in the memo, “Although the Department's law enforcement components do not regularly conduct patrols or routinely engage with the public in response to emergency calls, there are circumstances where the Department's agents encounter the public during pre-planned law enforcement operations. The Department is committed to the use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) by the Department's law enforcement agents in such circumstances."
Larry Cosme, President of the Federal Law enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), recently told the Washington Post that FLEOA is in favor of body cameras but against public disclosure of the footage because the media often only plays short clips, which can create confusion for the public. He explained, “I think the better way to tackle this is to have the federal agencies have an immediate press conference [after an incident] so that the public has a greater understanding.”
While in previous years the Justice Department had refrained from using body cameras to protect “sensitive investigations,” they now highlight a more important need to rebuild public trust in policing. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, and the United States Marshals Service have thirty days to draft policies that match the requirements set out in the DOJ memo.
The policies must indicate how often body cameras will be used by officers, when they should start recording (officer controlled or automatically), and where the footage is stored and released. The DOJ is also giving U.S. Attorneys 90 days to design a program for training federal prosecutors on the proper use of body camera footage as evidence.
Monaco concluded, "I am proud of the job performed by the Department's law enforcement agents, and I am confident that these policies will continue to engender the trust and confidence of the American people in the work of the Department of Justice.”