WASHINGTON, D.C. – Starting Wednesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in five U.S. cities started wearing body cameras as required by an executive order from President Biden.
ICE agents in Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington, Buffalo and Baltimore are wearing the cameras in the first phase of deployment for the devices.
The cameras are initially being worn by Homeland Security Investigations officers and Enforcement and Removal Operations agents.
“Public trust is dependent on transparency, and our ability to effectively conduct our mission is dependent on public trust,” ICE Deputy Director Patrick J. Lechleitner said in a statement. “The deployment of body-worn cameras to our officers and agents assists in building that public trust through transparency and accountability. It is an essential element in our public safety and national security mission.”
During this first phase of body cam deployment, ICE said the cameras will be distributed and specific training will be provided to HSI and ERO personnel in the five cities.
There are restrictions on how the body cameras are to be used. One is that they won’t be used for the sole purpose of recording people engaged in First Amendment activities.
Eventually, the Axon cameras will be worn by ICE agents throughout the country, but not all will get them right away. Resources are being secured to buy them for all agents.
The first deployment will include 1,600 cameras.
“Requiring our law enforcement personnel to use body-worn cameras is an important step in modernizing ICE operations while building trust and confidence in our dedicated law enforcement professionals,” ICE said in the Wednesday statement.
The use of body cameras will be required for “all aspects of pre-planned ICE enforcement activities that are conducted by ICE personnel to further ICE’s mission, excluding certain investigative activities.”
The department’s policy dictates officers must activate the camera when
- They are dispatched or conducting self-initiated calls for service
- Having public contacts that are not solely casual or public relations in nature
- Detaining someone
- Arresting or attempting to arrest someone and when transporting prisoners
- Searching or frisking a person or searching vehicles, structures or property (though strip searches are the exception)
- Pursuing someone by vehicle or on foot
- Directing traffic
- Using force
- They have a contact that becomes “adversarial” after an initial contact in a situation that wouldn’t otherwise require recording
Officers must also record interviews with victims, witnesses and suspects. However, if a victim or witness refuses to talk while being recorded, the officer may decide that getting the information is more important than recording. In that case, the officer will be required to explain why the recording is being turned off before deactivating it.
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