Welcome to the Small, Rural, and Tribal Body-Worn Camera Website.

(SRTBWC)

Welcome to the world of body-worn cameras (BWC) for Small, Rural, and Tribal (SRT) law enforcement agencies.

We hope that this site provides you with timely, relevant, and useful information about body-worn cameras (BWCs).

The SRT micro-grant program is funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and operated by Justice & Security Strategies, Inc. (JSS). The purpose of this initiative is to provide funds and technical support to small, rural, and tribal agencies to implement body-worn cameras. 

Intro to the SRTBWC Grant Program

Award Announcement 2024

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance announced that it will award $6 million to 170 small, rural and tribal law enforcement agencies for body-worn cameras. The grantees include 112 small towns, 40 county sheriff’s and county policy agencies, 12 federally-recognized tribal law enforcement agencies, and six university/ technical school law enforcement agencies across 46 states. The awards are in addition to the over $17.56 million that was awarded in 2021, 2022 and 2023 to support body-worn camera programs in small, rural and tribal law enforcement agencies. Click here to see the list of awards.

Success Stories

Each month, SRT-BWC Micro-Grantees are sharing their success stories as they report their progress. We are featuring these stories to help build knowledge about how body-worn camera programs are helping agencies across the country. Click here to review these stories and learn more about this program innovation. Submit your success stories in your monthly reports to be featured.

Grantee Resources

Do you have BWC-related questions?

Do your officers have concerns about BWC implementation? Do you need to know the pros and cons of policy options? Do you seek guidance on how to use the BWC footage in training for your officers? Robert “Bob” Haas, a retired Police Commissioner with over 40 years of experience in policing, is offering his expertise as you address these important issues. He has extensive knowledge in policing reform measures, operational assessments, and community engagement. Most importantly, he is here to help by answering your questions.

How are BWC’s impacting prosecution of cases in your jurisdictions?

Do your assistant prosecutors need guidance on how to incorporate BWC evidence?  Do you have questions about the police/prosecutor interactions regarding BWC-related questions?  What retention, redaction and storage requirements are important for prosecutor’s offices?  How much footage do your prosecutors need to review? Mike Green is a former elected DA from Monroe County (NY) and a leader of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS).  He possesses a wealth of knowledge about criminal justice reform and can provide you with a wealth of knowledge, experience and guidance on addressing these important issues.

Policy Wizard

The development and creation of a BWC policy is an important aspect of any BWC program. It serves as the foundation for your program and is an inherent part of your implementation efforts. JSS and ASU have created a tool that will provide you with the basics for building that policy.

Grant Resources

JSS provides access to the secure Grants Management portal that houses your micro-grant application and contract file materials. The items in this section address the requirements to successfully execute a federally funded grant program. Additional grant resources will be provided within the coming weeks.

Prosecutors & BWC’s Webinar Series Part 3

This is the third of three thirty minutes webinars related to Prosecutors, Law enforcement, and importance of Body-Worn Cameras Policy.

Newsletter Volume 3 Issue 5

July 18, 2024
$6 million and 170 BWC Grants Awarded.

Stay informed of upcoming SRT funding opportunities as well as helpful BWC resources by providing us with your contact information.

This project was supported by Grant No. 2020-BC-BX-K001 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.