Body-worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program

The Burlington (North Carolina) Police Department (BPD) is pleased to submit this proposal under
Category 5: Using BWC footage for training and constitutional policing demonstration projects (CBJA-2023-00032-PROD). The two-and-a-half-year project will leverage and enhance BPD’s current practice of using BWC footage to inform officer training. BPD will partner with the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to assess the implementation and outcomes of their efforts to incorporate BWCs into training on various topics. BPD and PERF will work together to produce a best practices model report containing a readiness toolkit, checklists, and practical examples of program implementation. BPD officers will also guide other law enforcement agencies (LEAs) seeking help. BPD first used BWC footage to facilitate officer training in 2016, and in 2019, BPD made BWC footage a fundamental component of all aspects of its formal and informal training program, culture, and philosophy. This change not only led to a reduction in the use of force, but it has also fostered a non-judgmental learning environment that has fundamentally improved the agency’s training initiatives. BPD seeks to build on these demonstrated training accomplishments and improve the program via adoption of new tools to expand the Training Unit’s capacity to review BWC footage, select videos, and apply them to a greater number of training initiatives.
To produce a best practices model based on BPD’s BWC training program, BPD and PERF will
comprehensively examine, expand, and evaluate BPD’s existing program. Primary activities will
include document review, interviews with BPD staff, observations of training sessions, review of
BWC footage, data analysis, and report writing. When the final report has been produced, BPD and PERF will work conjointly to distribute the findings to interested parties through conference
presentation, site visits to interest agencies, and a webinar. This project will benefit not only the BPD but also LEAs nationwide. BPD will benefit from the expansion of their existing program to allow for more efficient review of BWC footage. LEAs nationwide would benefit from access to a best practices model for using BWC footage in training. With this approach, LEAs can improve the quality of communication between police and the public, prepare police to respond to crisis situations more effectively, and bolster constitutional policing practices.