What are the limitations of Body-Worn Cameras?

While BWCs can be a useful tool and can provide a unique perspective on police encounters, there are limitations, including:

  • The camera cannot capture what happened outside of the camera’s view or potentially the causation for actions shown, depending on the camera’s perspective and breadth of view. How the camera is mounted and the angle at which the camera is mounted affect the perception of what is seen (officer, suspect, witness, victim perspectives).
  • The camera cannot record some important danger cues (such as smells, tensing of muscles, increased pulse rate, physical resistance).
  • The night vision component of the camera can see far better than the human eye.
  • Camera speed differs from the speed of life.
  • An officer’s body may unintentionally block the view of the camera.

Show All Answers

1. Is your Body-Worn Camera Policy publicly available?
2. Who is issued body cameras?
3. How many cameras will the Brentwood Police Department deploy?
4. When are the body-worn cameras (BWC) turned on?
5. Why can't a BWC continuously record an entire shift?
6. Where will the BWC video be stored?
7. How long is the BWC video kept?
8. Does the officer have to tell me when I'm being recorded?
9. What if I don't want to be recorded?
10. Can an officer record inside my home?
11. Will interviews with witnesses and victims be recorded?
12. Will officers use BWCs to record casual conversations involving community members?
13. Why shouldn't all video recorded by police be available to the public?
14. What are the limitations of Body-Worn Cameras?
15. Who can I contact if I have questions about the Brentwood Police Department's Body-Worn Camera (BWC) program?