Research and Best Practices from the IACP Study on In-Car Cameras Field Research and Final Development Team: IACP Staff Editors: Technical Contributors: William Albright Grant Fredericks Project Assistant Vancouver Police Department (Ret.) Research Center Directorate Forensic Video Analyst, Avid Technology Cassie Cullen Jonathan W. Hak Research Intern Crown Prosecutor The Department of Justice, Alberta, BC Jack Grant Manager Christopher A. Kadoch State and Provincial Directorate Physicist, Video Evidence Management Expert Laura J. Nichols Charles Mazzone Project Manager Lt. Colonel (Retired) Programs & Research Activities Directorate Maryland State Police Angelique Savvakis John Oliphant Acting Project Assistant Grant Program Specialist Research Center Directorate Community Oriented Policing Services Laura Strick Krista Threefoot Research Intern Grant Program Specialist Community Oriented Policing Services Alison Vaughn Project Manager Lonnie J. Westphal Research Center Directorate Chief (Retired) Colorado State Patrol Acknowledgements: The International Association of Chiefs of Police, In-Car Camera Project staff would like to extend our sincerest appreciation to the following: • The Evaluation Team Members for their experience, diligence, and commitment throughout the evaluation process • The Advisory Board for their expertise and guidance to the In-Car Camera Project • The Chiefs, Commissioners, Directors and Superintendents of the 47 state and 2 beta sites for their support and cooperation throughout the evaluation process • The police Executives, Managers and Line Officers that participated in the survey process and interviews • To our Points of Contact from each state agency and beta test site for their assistance and guid- ance while conducting the field evaluations • To Carl Peed, Director, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U. S. Department of • Justice, for his leadership in recognizing emerging technological issues facing law enforcement and COPS Office support and funding of the In-Car Camera Project • To Dave Tollett, Director, State and Provincial Directorate, International Association of Chiefs of Police, without whose assistance and direction the In-Car Camera Project could not have been accomplished (See Appendices for complete information on the participants) The Impact of Video Evidence on Modern Policing Daniel N. Rosenblatt Executive Director International Association of Chiefs of Police Eugene R. Cromartie Deputy Executive Director International Association of Chiefs of Police John Firman Director Research Center Directorate International Association of Chiefs of Police Prepared for: U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Washington, D.C. 20530 IACP Research Center Directorate In-Car Camera Project Staff Members: William Grady Baker Program Manager Michael Fergus Technical Assistance Coordinator Hairong Wang Research Analytical Coordinator Kristy Fowler Training/Project Assistant This project is supported by Grant No. 2001-CK-WX-0157, awarded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Department of Justice. The points of view in this document do not necessarily represent the official positions of the Department of Justice. Table of Contents Executive Summary ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…… 1 I. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………………….………… 4 II. History of In-Car Cameras …………..……………………………………………………………………………….... …… 5 III. Project Methodology ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…… 7 IV. Background of Agencies Studied ………….……………………………………………………………………..……. 9 V. Phase l: Process Evaluation ……………………………………………………………………………………………..……. 10 VI. Phase II: Measuring the Impact Officer Safety ………………………………………………………………………………………………………....…… 13 Agency Liability and Internal Control …………………………………………………………………….……… 15 Training ……….……………………………………………………………………………………...……………… 18 Community Perception …………………………………………………………………………………………..…..…… 20 Judicial Process (see appendices for results from IACP/APRI Prosecutors’ Survey)……………………. 21 Officer Performance and Professionalism …………………………………………………………...………………. 22 Agency Policies, Procedures and Protocols …………………………………………………………....……………… 24 Agency Leadership ……………………………………………………………………………………………….……………… 26 Homeland Security ……………………………………………………………………………………………....……………… 27 VII. Lessons Learned ………………………………………………………………………………………………..…. 28 Vlll. Best Practices Assessing an Agency’s Needs ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 30 The Acquisition Process …………………………………………………………………………………………………... 33 Managing Video Evidence ………………...………………………………………………………………………………… 36 IX. IACP In-Car Camera Model Policy …………. …………………………………………………………………………… 39 Issues and Concepts ………….………………………………………………………………………………………. 45 X. Appendices i. CALEA Standards ii. Prosecutors’ Findings iii. Video Log iv. Guidelines for Bid Specifications v. Forensic Video Analysis and the Law vi. Agency Video, Audio and Imaging Inventory vii. Charts and Tables viii. Acknowledgements EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Impact of Video Evidence on Modern Policing The In-Car Camera Project A National Study on the Use and Impact of In-Car Cameras Executive Summary In-Car Camera Use by Law Enforcement Over the past decade, in-car camera technology for police vehicles has proliferated. Supporting this wave of video technology, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has provided over $21,000,000 in grants to help state police and highway patrol agencies purchase over 5,000 cameras. There are now over 17,500 cameras in state police vehicles in the United States. See Chapter II for details. A major impetus of the COPS grant program was the enhancement of officer safety. Not only were officers being assaulted at an alarming rate; they were increasingly becoming accident victims while performing their duties on the highways. COPS believed that the use of the in-car camera would possibly deter assaults while providing a safer working environment. See Chapter VI for details. Another emerging issue was racial profiling in policing. COPS leadership felt that providing agencies with technology capable of producing both video and audio records of traffic stops would be extremely useful to agencies investigating any public challenge regarding racial profiling. Based on these two critical police issues, forty-seven state police and highway patrol agencies quickly took advantage of these camera grants. Inauguration of the IACP Evaluation In 2002, the COPS Office sought the help of the IACP to conduct a nationwide study of in-car cameras, focusing on those in use by state police and highway patrol COPS grant recipients. This 18-month study looked at all 471 state agency grant recipients, and included intensive 3-day site visits to 21 agencies. The study consisted of two phases: 1) a process evaluation on camera acquisition and installation, and 2) an impact evaluation on the value of cameras to police agencies. For a list of participating agencies see appendix viii. Using a variety of research methods, including survey research, on-site interviews, focus group discussions, continuing data collection and analysis, the IACP succeeded in capturing a broad array of information on the use and value cameras have had on modern policing. From the outset of the study, it became clear that while the focus of the research was on state police and highway patrol, the findings would be of substantial importance to all law enforcement agencies (state, county, local, Tribal) in the U.S. Thus this final report is intended for this broad audience. See Section III for details. Process Evaluation Findings The process evaluation of the study yielded extremely positive results regarding the success of the COPS grants program and its impact on supporting technology acquisition and use by police agencies. Results of the process evaluation included: • 91 grants awarded to 50 agencies, totaling $21,000,000 1 When the study was initiated in 2002, only 47 state police and highway patrol agencies were participating in the COPS In-Car Camera Initiative Grant. By 2004, in-car camera grants were awarded to 49 state agencies and the District of Columbia totaling 50 agencies. 1 The Impact of Video Evidence on Modern Policing • 5,043 cameras selected and purchased by 50 agencies • 5,000 plus, purchased cameras installed and in full use The last bullet is of note, indicating that the agencies receiving COPS grants were highly effective in translating those funds into fast track acquisition and use of in-car camera technology. See Section V for details. Impact Evaluation Findings: The impact evaluation findings are dramatic. In the second phase of the project, researchers documented that in-car cameras provided a substantial value to agencies using them, including: • Enhancing officer safety • Improving agency accountability • Reducing agency liability • Simplifying incident review • Enhancing new recruit and in-service training (post-incident use of videos) • Improving Community/Media perceptions • Strengthening police leadership • Advancing prosecution/case resolution • Enhancing officer performance and professionalism • Increasing homeland security • Upgrading technology policies and procedures From all information sources; surveys, focus groups, and on-site interviews, it became clear to researchers that agencies were discovering a broad array of use and value to the cameras in use. See Section VI for details. Lessons Learned During the course of the study, a number of lessons were learned.