There’s a persistent myth in policing that cameras alone drive better outcomes. They don’t. What changes behavior is what happens after the recording: How footage is reviewed How patterns are identified How lessons are fed back into training How leadership responds consistently over time Without a system, BWCs become an archive. With a system, they become feedback. The agencies seeing real value aren’t watching more video. They’re making better decisions with the video they

A new audit in Philadelphia’s 24th District sampled 119 interactions from January 2025 and found that officers properly activated, categorized, and recorded footage in just over half (54 %) of the stops. Here are some key takeaways: Non-use or incorrect use of BWCs undermines policy credibility — if officers routinely skip or delay activation, the value of the system is diminished. Audits should not be one-and-done — regular, random checks help reinforce accountability.

I had a conversation the other day with a detective who works in one of the top 50 police departments in the country. He was disheartened, but resigned, at the poor quality of “on scene” investigation and paperwork work done by patrol officers in his department. He stated he had to look at all body-worn camera (BWC) video associated with an incident because the quality of work from many patrol officers is substandard. The video generally helped show a more complete story than