by Kaylee Greenlee
Border agents will be issued body-worn cameras in an effort to be more transparent, Customs and Border Protection announced Wednesday.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) expects to issue around 6,000 body-worn cameras by the end of 2021 as part of the agency’s new Incident-Driven Video Recording Systems program, according to the announcement.
“Our agents and officers serve the public and protect our borders every day with great skill and professionalism,” CBP Acting Commissioner Troy Miller said in a statement. “Providing them with state-of-the-art technology and tools like body-worn cameras will support their work and provide greater transparency into interactions between CBP officers and agents and the public.”
NEW—CBP has begun outfitting some of its agents and officers with body-worn cameras as part of the agency's new Incident-Driven Video Recording systems (IDVRS) program.
Learn more: https://t.co/r0avszA6t8 pic.twitter.com/70n8R174nZ
— CBP (@CBP) August 4, 2021
The cameras are about the size of a deck of playing cards and will be worn on the front of law enforcement official’s uniforms, according to CBP. They continuously record video footage but only store the video recorded two minutes before an official activates the camera.
The cameras will be used to review incidents where officials have to use physical force and in investigations into misconduct, according to the agency.
Border Patrol officials across both the northern and southern borders will receive the equipment in phases, according to CBP. Eventually, the technology will expand to certain Office of Field Operations ports of entry locations across the U.S.
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Kaylee Greenlee is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “CBP Officers” by Dustin Williams.
