In September 2017, I made an Access to Information (ATI) request for
“copies of any protocols, procedures, guidelines, etc governing the use of body-worn cameras by members of the JCF. I am interested in copies of any such documents that are currently in force or have been used at any time in the past.”
I initially submitted the request to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) directly and it was subsequently transferred to the Ministry of National Security, which is where I am told it ought to have been submitted in the first place. After much back and forth and delay, and with the assistance of the ATI Unit, today I received a copy of the JCF’s Policy & Procedures on Body-Worn Cameras. The cover of the document indicates that it was developed in November 2017 & disseminated as an Appendix to the JCF Force Orders No. 3675, dated November 9, 2017. (These dates may indicate in part the reason for the delay in response to my ATI request made in September 2017.)
Click here to access a copy of the document: JCF Policy & Procedures on Body-Worn Cameras Nov 2017
I have had a chance to do only a quick read through the document, which does not seem to be sufficiently detailed and specific on first reading. There also seem to be a number of gaps, with some significant issues left unaddressed. I’ll obviously consider it more closely when I read through it again, but in the meantime, what do you think? I have repeatedly said, “If the public doesn’t know what the protocols and procedures are, how can we know if they are adequate?” So here they are. Are they adequate?
Two other questions:
- Are these the protocols required under Section 19(2) of the Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations)(Special Security and Community Development Measures) Act, 2017?
- Was INDECOM consulted in the development of this Policy & Procedures?
Related blog posts
INDECOM Reports 8 Fatal Shootings in the Past Week: Any Body Worn Camera-Footage?
Body-Worn Cameras: A Secret Transparency Tool?
No Protocols, No Body-Worn Cameras: INDECOM’s Comments
350 Words or Less: Police Using Body-Cameras, But What Protocol Is Regulating Their Use
Right Steps & Poui Trees 
February 2, 2018 at 5:52 am
At 1st blush, a bit slap-dash. Do you/we have benchmarks for best practices worldwide & where these stand vis-a-vis those? Not sure why it appears that incidents/activations end with arrest (not all encounters will end that way); poor wording? Non-use during encounters should be reported but did not see what consequences for that would/should follow. Is/will the document be available online? If not, why not?
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February 6, 2018 at 5:57 am
All questions on point!
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