Body Worn Camera Program for Ohio BCI

The Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) respectfully requests a scope change to award number 15PBJA-21-GG-04467-BWCX due to issues with statistic keeping prior to the start of the program. 

The current goal and objectives for the program are:

Goal 1: Improve the public’s trust in law enforcement activities, promote accountability and transparency, and support evidentiary effectiveness
Objective 1.1: Decrease the number of citizen complaints against BCI agents in the field by 5%
Objective 1.2: Provide at least one audio/video evidence item per case involving the deployment of a BWC, included                   in case packages sent for prosecutorial review

While grant funding is still being used to increase transparency, support evidentiary effectiveness, and improve the public’s trust in BCI’s law enforcement activities, a change in statistic reporting is required. BCI began tracking citizen complaints against its agents in the field in 2021. In that time, there have been zero citizen complaints against BCI agents. As the agency cannot decrease the number of citizen complaints against BCI agents in the field by 5% since the number is already zero, BCI requests to change Objective 1.1 to "Maintain the number of citizens complaints against BCI agents in the field below 5% of all interactions." In the second quarter of 2023, body-worn cameras have been in use by agents 150 times on enforcement operations, interviews, and interrogations. During the second quarter of 2023, there have been no citizen complaints against those BCI agents. 

With the new Objective 1.1, the updated goal and objectives for the program are:

Goal 1: Improve the public’s trust in law enforcement activities, promote accountability and transparency, and support evidentiary effectiveness
Objective 1.1: Maintain the number of citizens complaints against BCI agents in the field below 5% of all interactions
Objective 1.2: Provide at least one audio/video evidence item per case involving the deployment of a BWC, included                   in case packages sent for prosecutorial review