On Monday, May 18, 2015, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) released its National Body-Worn Camera (BWC) Toolkit. An online clearinghouse of resources, the National BWC Toolkit is designed to help law enforcement professionals and the communities they serve plan and implement body-worn camera programs. Developed in accordance with the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, the Toolkit builds upon existing BWC research, promising practices, templates and tools. Input for the Toolkit came from a BWC expert panel that consisted of law enforcement leaders, recognized criminal justice practitioners, national policy leaders and community advocates. The panel which convened on February 26-27, 2015, was facilitated by the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Diagnostic Center Senior Diagnostic Specialist and Arizona State University Professor Michael White. A criminal justice expert, Dr. White previously authored the OJP Diagnostic Center literature review, Police Officer Body-Worn Cameras: Assessing the Evidence, evaluating existing evidence and implications of the technology.

In addition to the release of the National BWC Toolkit, BJA will faciliate a webinar for the Body-Worn Camera Pilot Implementation Program Solicitation . On May 21, 2015, BJA Policy Advisors Mike Roosa and Carmen Facciolo, will review all categories of the Body-Worn Camera Pilot Implementation Program Solicitation including eligibility, funding metrics, rules, matching requirements and appropriate use of funds. This competitive solicitation is for law enforcement agencies seeking to establish or enhance BWC Policy and Implementation Programs. Additionally, this solicitation seeks applications for one national training and technical assistance provider to build national capacity in support of recommended BWC policy. Click here to register for the informative webinar.

For a debrief of the Diagnostic Center’s fall 2014 brown bag on body-worn cameras, click here.