ICE rejects GAO advice to auto-activate body cameras when weapons are drawn

Left · 2The Department of Homeland Security, ICE's parent agency, told the Government Accountability Office (GAO) it would not adopt a recommendation that agents' body cameras activate automatically when weapons are drawn, according to a GAO report published on Wednesday 14 October. 1 2 Left · 2The GAO, described as an independent, nonpartisan congressional watchdog, found that ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had not updated their body camera policies in several years and so had not accounted for developments such as the growing number of cameras in use. 1 2 Left · 1The report noted that CBP uses technology that turns cameras on automatically when officers draw weapons or switch on emergency lights, whereas ICE does not, which it said "presents the risk of personnel not capturing footage of incidents when they are required to do so". 1

Left · 1Immigration agents are generally required to activate cameras at the start of an enforcement encounter, but staff interviewed at six of 10 locations said they were not always sure when to do so, with some calling camera use "up to interpretation", "not mandated" and full of "gray areas". 1 Left · 2GAO said automated activation would give greater assurance of transparency, accountability and public trust, particularly in unexpected incidents involving use of force, and Al Jazeera reports it would also address the difficulty agents have turning cameras on manually during operations. 1 2 Left · 2DHS said automatic activation carries risks such as false activations that could inadvertently record "sensitive interactions with informants or victims"; Al Jazeera describes this as a privacy concern. 1 2

Left · 2Al Jazeera adds that all ICE offices had received body cameras as of 5 August, with training still under way and due to finish "soon". The Independent notes that in July ICE said half its field offices had cameras, and border czar Tom Homan said agents would use them "whenever possible". 2 1 Left · 2The decision comes amid scrutiny of shootings by immigration agents. The Independent cites a New York Times count of at least 23 people shot, six fatally, since last year; Al Jazeera cites a CBS News review counting at least 30 shootings, with nine killed and 13 wounded. 1 2 Left · 2Al Jazeera recalls the January killings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, and says video undercut government accounts in Good's case. It also reports that ICE agent Christian Castro, charged over allegedly false statements about a shooting, pleaded not guilty. Both outlets mention the 8 October New York shooting of Oscar Belgal, whom the Independent does not name and describes as a 28-year-old shot in the neck; Al Jazeera says his five-year-old son was in the car. 2 1

Left · 2The Independent said it had contacted DHS for comment; Al Jazeera notes Democrats in Congress earlier delayed DHS funding over demands to reduce excessive force, and that the administration has largely refused to implement reforms to ICE protocol. 1 2