BWCS paper instrument with changes highlighted

OMB No. 1121-0354: Approval Expires 02/28/2019

Body Worn Camera Supplement (BWCS) to the Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), in partnership with RTI International, is conducting a survey about the use of bodyworn cameras. The Body Worn Camera Supplement (BWCS) to the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative
Statistics (LEMAS) Survey includes items that are relevant to all law enforcement agencies – regardless of whether your
agency has acquired or has considered acquiring these cameras.
The BWCS seeks additional information that has not been fully captured by other recent surveys examining use of bodyworn cameras by law enforcement agencies. The survey examines reasons for acquiring cameras (or not), alternate means of
documenting officer-citizen interactions, policies and procedures about camera use and handling of the resulting video files,
and obstacles to camera acquisition and use.
Please complete this survey even if your agency does not currently have body-worn cameras.
This survey should be filled out by your law enforcement agency’s chief executive or another individual who is most
knowledgeable about your agency’s plans or experiences with body-worn cameras.
The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Agency Information
Please provide or update your agency’s information below, as necessary. Contact information will only be used if
needed to follow-up on survey submission.
1. Agency name:
___________________________________
___________________________________
2. Agency 9-digit ORI number used for reporting
purposes:
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
3. Type of Agency:
 Local Police
 County Police
 Sheriff’s Office
 Primary State
 Other (please specify):
______________________________
4. Primary contact name:
___________________________________
5. Primary contact rank/title:
___________________________________

6. Primary contact email:
___________________________________

Commented [HS1]: Question numbering was made consistent
throughout the survey. In the web survey some numbers were
repeated and others were skipped.

7. Primary contact phone:
___ ___ ___ – ___ ___ ___ – ___ ___ ___ ___

8. Approximate number of full-time sworn
officers with general arrest powers:
__________
9. If you want to designate a new point of contact
for future LEMAS surveys, please provide the
following:
a. Updated contact name:
________________________________
b. Updated contact rank/title:
________________________________
c. Updated contact email:
________________________________
d. Updated contact phone:
___ ___ ___ – ___ ___ ___ – ___ ___ ___ ___

Burden Statement
Federal agencies may not conduct or sponsor an information collection, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information, unless it displays a
currently valid OMB Control Number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 minutes per response, including time for
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.
Send comments regarding this burden estimate, or any other aspects of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the
Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 810 Seventh Street, NW, Washington, DC 20531. The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended
(42 USC 3732), authorizes this information collection. Although this survey is voluntary, we urgently need your cooperation to make the results comprehensive,
accurate, and timely. We greatly appreciate your assistance.

Commented [HS2]: Changed from ‘full-time equivalent (FTE)
sworn officers’. Wording adjusted to better define full-time sworn.
This adjustment is also being made to the web survey.

Commented [HS3]: Changed the wording. This originally said
“Check here if you want to designate a new point of contact for
future LEMAS surveys: [CHECK BOX]”

13. How would you describe the current state of
body-worn camera deployment in your agency?
 Exploratory/pilot deployment
 Partial deployment
 Complete deployment for some
assignments / partial deployment in
others
 Full deployment to all intended personnel
Go to #15
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #15

Officer/Citizen Interaction
Records of Officer/Citizen Interaction
First, we would like to know about how your agency
collects information about officer-citizen interactions. If
you are unsure of the correct response to any question,
please provide your best guess or estimate.
10. Has your agency acquired any of the following
tools to record officer-citizen interactions? Please
check one response for each tool.

a. Body-worn cameras

Agency has
acquired in
any form
(including
testing)


14. What has prevented a full deployment of bodyworn cameras? Please check all that apply.

Agency has
not acquired

 Insufficient funding
 Lack of data storage capacity
 Lack of staff to handle video footage resulting
from BWC
 Benefits remain unclear
 Lack of officer support
 Lack of union support
 Lack of supervisory or leadership support
 Insufficient time to complete deployment
 Inability to acquire sufficient hardware
 Currently vetting vendor offerings
 Technological challenges (e.g. limited upload
bandwidth)
 Unresolved legal or policy issues
 Other (please specify):
______________________________
 Unsure / Don’t know



b. Car dashboard cameras





c. Personal audio recorders





d. Other event-recording
equipment (please
specify):





_________________
_________________

Body-worn Cameras
If your agency has not acquired bodyworn cameras, go to #61
The next set of questions ask about your agency’s
experience with body-worn cameras. If you are unsure
of the correct response to any question, please provide
your best guess or estimate.

Commented [HS4]: Pulled instruction out of question

Commented [HS8]: The order of this question switched with the
following question to simplify skip logic.

Commented [HS5]: To eliminate need for skip instructions, this
was added within question.

15. Do you plan to deploy additional body-worn
cameras in the next 12 months?
 Yes – Please specify the anticipated number of
BWCs that will be purchased:
____________
 No
 Unsure / Don’t know

11. When did your agency first get body-worn
cameras? Provide estimate if exact month and year
are unknown.

Commented [HS6]: Pulled instruction out of question

Month: ___ ___ Year: ___ ___ ___ ___
12. About how many body-worn cameras are
currently in service?
_____________
Commented [HS7]: Originally a separate question.

This number is an:
 Estimate
 Actual count of deployed devices

2

16. Why did your agency get body-worn camera(s)?
Please check all that apply.



















18. Does your agency use BWC footage to inform
and/or develop in-service training?
 Yes
 No
 Unsure / Don’t know

Improve officer safety
Improve training
Improve officer professionalism
Improve officer/agency accountability
Improve evidence quality
Improve community perceptions of the agency
Reduce agency liability
Reduce use of force incidents
Reduce or more quickly resolve citizen complaints
Simplify incident review
Strengthen police leadership
Make cases more prosecutable
To receive funding that required purchase of bodyworn cameras
Response to external pressures (e.g. legislative,
judicial or executive mandate from outside of the
police agency)
Conduct a pilot test to determine body-worn
camera feasibility and utility
Other (please specify):
________________________________
Unsure / Don’t know

Commented [HS10]: Moved this question from later in the
survey to simplify the skip logic.

The next set of questions ask about your agency's policies
surrounding the transfer, storage, and disposal of video
files resulting from body-worn cameras. If you are unsure
of the correct response to any question, please provide your
best guess or estimate.
19. Does your agency have a formal policy on the use
of body-worn cameras or the video footage
recorded by those cameras?
 Yes
 Under development / Policy is in draft form
 No
Go to #27
 Unsure / Don’t know

Go to #27

20. Were any published guidelines from independent
sources (such as the NIJ, BJA, PERF, IACP,
CALEA, etc.) used in the formulation of policies
and procedures regarding body-worn camera
deployment, use, or video storage?
 Yes
 No
 Unsure / Don’t know

17. Which of these was the most important reason for
acquiring body-worn cameras? Please check only
one.
 Improve officer safety
 Improve training
 Improve officer professionalism
 Improve officer/agency accountability
 Improve evidence quality
 Improve community perceptions of the agency
 Reduce agency liability
 Reduce use of force incidents
 Reduce or more quickly resolve citizen complaints
 Simplify incident review
 Strengthen police leadership
 Make cases more prosecutable
 To receive funding that required purchase of bodyworn cameras
 Response to external pressures (e.g. legislative,
judicial or executive mandate from outside of the
police agency)
 Conduct a pilot test to determine body-worn
camera feasibility and utility
 Other (please specify):
________________________________
 Unsure / Don’t know

21. Does your agency’s body-worn camera (or
related) policy cover what events to record?
 Yes
 No
Go to #23
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #23
22. In what situations are officers required to turn on
their body-worn cameras? Please check all that
apply.
 Responding to routine calls for service
 Traffic stops
 Officer-initiated citizen contact
 Firearms deployments
 Public order policing
 Policing public events
 Criminal investigations
 Special operations
 Executing arrest or search warrants
 Transporting offenders
 Other (please specify):
______________________________
 Unsure / Don’t know

3

Commented [HS9]: Added to emphasize the difference from the
previous question.
Commented [HS11]: Pulled this item out of the original grid
(Question 26 paper/ Question 17 web) to simplify skip instructions.

Commented [HS12]: This originally said “Unsure” on web
Q17. Changed it to “Unsure / Don’t know” for consistency with
other items.
Commented [HS13]: ‘Check’ replaces ‘select’ where
highlighted

23. Does your agency’s body-worn camera
(or related) policy cover transfer, storage, or
disposal of video?
 Yes
 No
Go to #26
 Unsure / Don’t know

27. Have body-worn cameras been deployed to
officers in your agency?
 Yes
 No
Go to #51
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #51

Go to #26

28. Have body-worn cameras been deployed to
officers assigned to traditional patrol / vehiclebased patrols?
 Yes
 No
Go to #30
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #30

24. Per policy, how long must typical video files be
retained?








Files are not stored unless manually flagged
30 days or less
1 month up to one year
More than 1 year and up to 5 years
More than 5 years
Indefinitely
Other (please specify):
______________________________
 Unsure / Don’t know

29. What best describes the deployment of bodyworn cameras for officers primarily engaged in
traditional patrol / vehicle-based patrol?
 Exploratory/pilot deployment
 Partial deployment
 Complete deployment for some assignments /
partial deployment in others
 Full deployment to all intended personnel
 Unsure / Don’t know

25. Under what circumstances would video files be
retained for a longer periods of time? Please
check all that apply.

30. Have body-worn cameras been deployed to
officers assigned to primarily proactive / selfinitiated public contacts?
 Yes
 No
Go to #32
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #32







Associated with officer use of force
Associated with a citizen complaint
Used as evidence in a legal proceeding
Officer request
At the request of supervisor or agency
management
 FOIA or other public access request
 Other (please specify):
______________________________
 Unsure / Don’t know

31. What best describes the deployment of bodyworn cameras for officers primarily engaged in
primarily proactive / self-initiated public
contacts?
 Exploratory/pilot deployment
 Partial deployment
 Complete deployment for some assignments /
partial deployment in others
 Full deployment to all intended personnel
 Unsure / Don’t know

26. Select all the topics covered by your agency’s
body-worn camera (or related) policy.
Yes No Unsure
a. When/how to inform citizens



they are being recorded
b. Frequency of uploading or
offloading video







c. Officers are allowed to review
footage before making a formal
statement







d. Periodic/routine supervisor
review of footage







e. Public release of raw (unredacted)

video footage





f. Content/objects that must be
redacted







4

Commented [HS15]: To simplify skip logic of what was Q22
on web survey (a check all that apply question), items were
separated out into a series of individual questions, 1 question per
response option. This allows for the follow-up question to come
immediately after the corresponding gate question. The next
questions (Q28-Q50) were created from web Q22 & their follow-ups
(web Q23-Q33).
Commented [HS14]: Pulled this item out of the original grid
(Question 26 paper/ Question 17 web) to simplify skip instructions.
Don’t know added after Unsure.

32. Have body-worn cameras been deployed to
officers assigned to foot patrols?
 Yes
 No
Go to #34
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #34

38. Have body-worn cameras been deployed to
officers assigned to traffic enforcement?
 Yes
 No
Go to #40
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #40

33. What best describes the deployment of bodyworn cameras for officers primarily engaged in
foot patrols?
 Exploratory/pilot deployment
 Partial deployment
 Complete deployment for some assignments /
partial deployment in others
 Full deployment to all intended personnel
 Unsure / Don’t know

39. What best describes the deployment of bodyworn cameras for officers primarily engaged in
traffic enforcement?
 Exploratory/pilot deployment
 Partial deployment
 Complete deployment for some assignments /
partial deployment in others
 Full deployment to all intended personnel
 Unsure / Don’t know

34. Have body-worn cameras been deployed to
officers assigned to bicycle patrols?
 Yes
 No
Go to #36
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #36

40. Have body-worn cameras been deployed to
officers assigned to warrant executions?
 Yes
 No
Go to #42
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #42

35. What best describes the deployment of bodyworn cameras for officers primarily engaged in
bicycle patrols?
 Exploratory/pilot deployment
 Partial deployment
 Complete deployment for some assignments /
partial deployment in others
 Full deployment to all intended personnel
 Unsure / Don’t know

41. What best describes the deployment of bodyworn cameras for officers primarily engaged in
warrant executions?
 Exploratory/pilot deployment
 Partial deployment
 Complete deployment for some assignments /
partial deployment in others
 Full deployment to all intended personnel
 Unsure / Don’t know

36. Have body-worn cameras been deployed to
officers assigned to motorcycle patrols?
 Yes
 No
Go to #38
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #38

42. Have body-worn cameras been deployed to
officers assigned to criminal investigations?
 Yes
 No
Go to #44
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #44
43. What best describes the deployment of bodyworn cameras for officers primarily engaged in
criminal investigations?
 Exploratory/pilot deployment
 Partial deployment
 Complete deployment for some assignments /
partial deployment in others
 Full deployment to all intended personnel
 Unsure / Don’t know

37. What best describes the deployment of bodyworn cameras for officers primarily engaged in
motorcycle patrols?
 Exploratory/pilot deployment
 Partial deployment
 Complete deployment for some assignments /
partial deployment in others
 Full deployment to all intended personnel
 Unsure / Don’t know

5

44. Have body-worn cameras been deployed to
officers assigned to drug enforcement?
 Yes
 No
Go to #46
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #46

50. Have body-worn cameras been deployed to
officers assigned to any other duties not already
mentioned in questions 28-49?
 Yes (please specify):
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
 No
 Unsure / Don’t know

45. What best describes the deployment of bodyworn cameras for officers primarily engaged in
drug enforcement?
 Exploratory/pilot deployment
 Partial deployment
 Complete deployment for some assignments /
partial deployment in others
 Full deployment to all intended personnel
 Unsure / Don’t know

51. Select all the features present on your body-worn
camera system? Please check all that apply.
 Time / date stamp
 Variable camera placement (e.g. eyewear,
lapel, other part of uniform)
 Pre-event video buffer (e.g. the device
continuously records video which is saved
when the device is activated)
 Capable of recording in low light conditions
 Playback screen
 Minimum battery life
Please specify hours: ______
 Global Positioning System (GPS) information
 Safeguards against inadvertent video file
corruption, loss, or tampering
 Officer down alerts
 Officer event tagging
 Flexible placement (e.g. lapel mount, chest
mount, glasses mount)
 Other (please specify):
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
 Unsure / Don’t know

46. Have body-worn cameras been deployed to
officers assigned to detentions and transfers?
 Yes
 No
Go to #48
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #48
47. What best describes the deployment of bodyworn cameras for officers primarily engaged in
detentions and transfers?
 Exploratory/pilot deployment
 Partial deployment
 Complete deployment for some assignments /
partial deployment in others
 Full deployment to all intended personnel
 Unsure / Don’t know
48. Have body-worn cameras been deployed to
officers assigned to SWAT operations?
 Yes
 No
Go to #50
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #50
49. What best describes the deployment of bodyworn cameras for officers primarily engaged in
SWAT operations?
 Exploratory/pilot deployment
 Partial deployment
 Complete deployment for some assignments /
partial deployment in others
 Full deployment to all intended personnel
 Unsure / Don’t know

6

Commented [HS16]: This question came from the ‘Other’
option in the web Q22.

52. Indicate your degree of agreement with the following statements:

Strongly
disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly
agree

Don't
know

Too
soon to
know

a. BWC implementation was more expensive than
anticipated













b. BWC implementation required more staff time than
anticipated













c. BWCs provide reliable evidence of officer-citizen
interactions













d. BWCs have been useful in protecting officers from
unwarranted complaints













e. BWCs have been a useful tool for supervising
officers













f. BWCs have improved professionalism of officers













g. BWCs have helped identify instances of officer
misconduct that might not have been identified
without them













h. BWCs have improved relationships between the
agency and the community













The next set of questions ask about your agency's
experience and procedures around the use and
dissemination of videos produced by body-worn cameras.

54. Who has direct access to view video files? In other
words, who can access the files without filing a
formal request? Please check all that apply.
 Chief executive of law enforcement agency
 Executive staff of law enforcement agency
 Internal affairs
 Head of information technology group in the law
enforcement agency
 Other information technology staff in the law
enforcement agency
 Officer that made the video recording
 Supervisor of officer that made the video
recording
 Other sworn law enforcement agency staff
 Other non-sworn law enforcement agency staff
 District attorney’s office
 Vendor staff
 Other (please specify):
______________________________
 None of the above
 Unsure / Don’t know

53. Does your agency keep a log of or otherwise track
internal (i.e., law enforcement agency staff) access
to video files?
 Yes
 No
 Unsure / Don’t know

7

55. On average, how many times per month does the
public request video generated by body-worn
cameras?
 0 requests
Go to #59
 1 – 5 requests
 6 – 10 requests
 11 – 15 requests
 16 or more requests
 Public has never requested video generated by
BWC
Go to #59
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #59

58. Under what conditions have video requests from
the public been denied?
 The video was part of an ongoing
investigation
 The video would have deprived a person of
their right to a fair trial
 The video constituted an unwarranted invasion
of personal privacy
 The video risked identifying confidential
sources
 The video revealed techniques and procedures
for investigations that could be used to
circumvent the law
 The video would have endangered the life or
safety of an individual
 Other (please specify):
______________________________
 Unsure / Don’t know

56. On average, how much staff time does it take to
produce a video requested by the public? This
should be actual staff time needed to conduct
retrieval, redaction, and dissemination, not
necessarily the amount of time between video
request and video dissemination.
 Less than 60 minutes
 1-2 hours
 3-4 hours
 5-6 hours
 7-8 hours
 More than 9 hours
 Public has never requested video generated by
BWC
 Unsure / Don’t know

59. What obstacles have your agency encountered in
using cameras or the associated video? Please
check all that apply.
 Concerns about the security of the information
contained in the videos
 Concerns about procedures surrounding
storage of the videos
 Concerns about privacy
 Concerns about liability
 Costs were greater than anticipated
 Burden of replying to public/agency requests
for video data
 Lack of public support
 Lack of officer support
 Lack of support from labor union or other
group representing officers
 Cameras use has not benefitted the agency as
expected
 Technical obstacles to implementation (e.g.,
poor video or sound quality)
 Other (please specify):
______________________________
 Unsure / Don’t know

57. Has you agency ever denied the public’s access to
body-worn camera footage?
 Yes
 No
Go to #59
 Public has never requested video
generated by BWC
Go to #59
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #59

8

60. Of these, which is the greatest obstacle you have
encountered?
 Concerns about the security of the information
contained in the videos
 Concerns about procedures surrounding
storage of the videos
 Concerns about privacy
 Concerns about liability
 Costs were greater than anticipated
 Burden of replying to public/agency requests
for video data
 Lack of public support
 Lack of officer support
 Lack of support from labor union or other
group representing officers
 Cameras use has not benefitted the agency as
expected
 Technical obstacles to implementation (e.g.,
poor video or sound quality)
 Other (please specify):
______________________________
 Unsure / Don’t know

Body-worn Cameras
We are interested in your agency’s plans to acquire or
experience considering body-worn cameras. If your agency
has already acquired body-worn cameras, skip to #67.

Commented [HS17]: Added to help people who don’t see the
instructions at the end of the previous column.

61. What are the primary reasons that your agency
has not acquired any body-worn cameras? Please
check all that apply.
 No perceived need for the technology
 Lack of community support
 Lack of support from agency leadership
 Lack of support from patrol officers
 Cost of hardware
 Cost of training
 Cost of ongoing maintenance/support
 Costs of video storage and/or disposal
 Costs of managing public records request
and/or video redaction
 Privacy concerns
 Liability concerns
 Likelihood of technical difficulties with
camera operation
 Obstacles associated with transfer and storage
of videos
 Other (please specify):
______________________________
______________________________
 Unsure / Don’t know

Please skip to #67. Questions 61-66 are for
agencies that have not acquired body-worn
cameras.

62. What factors will determine whether you explore
body-worn cameras in the next year? Please
check all that apply.
 Public expectations
 Leadership directives
 Initial acquisition costs
 Ongoing maintenance costs
 Privacy concerns
 Liability concerns
 Support from agency leadership
 Support from patrol officers
 Communication or relationship with vendor(s)
 Other similar or nearby jurisdictions acquiring
BWC
 Other (please specify):
______________________________
______________________________
 Unsure / Don’t know

9

Commented [HS18]: This question was originally after web
Q45. Reordered to help with the skip logic.
Removed instruction from question item for consistency

63. How likely are you to consider acquiring bodyworn cameras in the next year?
 Very likely
 Likely

68. Are these paper or electronic civilian complaint
records easily retrievable?
 Yes
 No
Go to end of survey

 Unlikely
Go to #65
 Very unlikely
Go to #65
 Unsure / Don’t know
Go to #65

69. How many formal civilian complaints against sworn
officers were received in 2015?
__________________

64. When do you anticipate acquiring body-worn
cameras?
 Within the next 3 months
 4 – 6 months
 7 – 12 months
 More than 12 months
 No anticipated date
 Unsure / Don’t know

70. Of the civilian complaints identified in question 69,
how many involved at least one allegation of
excessive use of physical force?
__________________
71. For the civilian complaints reporting excessive use
of physical force, what was the total number of
allegations related to excessive use of physical force?
There may be more than one allegation per complaint.

65. How supportive do you think patrol officers
would be if your agency implemented body-worn
cameras?
 Very supportive
 Somewhat supportive
 Not supportive
 Officers would likely not have a reaction one
way or the other
 Unsure / Don’t know

__________________
72. For the allegations identified in question 71, how
many were:
a. Unfounded (the complaint was not
based on facts, or reported incident did
not occur)
b. Exonerated (The incident occurred, but
officer action was deemed lawful and
proper)

66. How supportive do you think the community
would be if your agency implemented body-worn
cameras?
 Very supportive
 Somewhat supportive
 Not supportive
 Community would likely not have a reaction
one way or the other
 Unsure / Don’t know

c.

Not sustained (Insufficient evidence to
prove the allegation)

d. Sustained (Sufficient evidence to justify
disciplinary action against the officer(s))
e.

Pending (Final disposition of the
allegation has not been made)

f.

Other disposition (e.g., withdrawn)

g. Total use of force allegations (sum of
lines a through f, should also equal
number provided in question 71)

67. Does your agency formally document and store
civilian complaints against sworn officers in
paper or electronic format?
 Yes- Electronic only
 Yes- Paper only
 Yes- Both paper and electronic records
 No- Agency does not document and store
civilian complaints
Go to end of survey

Thank You!
Thank you for participating in this survey. BJS and RTI
will be analyzing and disseminating information on
body-worn cameras in the coming months. If you have
any questions about this survey, please contact RTI Data
Collection Manager Alissa Chambers at 919-541-6340
or lemas.bwc@rti.org. Information on all of BJS’s law
enforcement data collection and dissemination activities
can be found at www.bjs.gov.

10

Commented [HS19]: Reworded it to make it clear the sum
should equal the number provided in question 71, and not the
number 71.