华盛顿——司法部长梅里克·加兰周三表示，根据一项新政策，司法部已经确定了第一批佩戴人体摄像头的联邦特工，该政策取消了长达一年的禁令。
这些特工在凤凰城和底特律的酒精、烟草、火器和爆炸物管理局工作，他们将佩戴摄像头进行预先计划的行动，如逮捕和搜查。这是司法部今年早些时候颁布的一项政策的第一步，该政策要求所有联邦特工在执行逮捕令或搜查建筑物时佩戴人体摄像头。这个项目正在逐步实施。
去年10月，美国司法部正式制定了一项新政策，允许当地官员在联合行动中佩戴人体摄像头，这扭转了美国司法部与一些执法机构关系紧张的政策。这个问题之前已经达到了沸点，以至于亚特兰大的警察局长已经将城市警察从联邦特别工作组中撤出。
但是，即使司法部做出了这些重大的政策转变，允许使用一种多年来在大多数当地警察机构中很常见的工具，但对于当地特遣部队官员的流程以及实际允许他们在现场佩戴所需的时间长度，仍然存在混乱。
目前只有分配到这两个外地办事处的联邦特工被分配了摄像头，尽管底特律办事处覆盖了整个密歇根州，凤凰城分部也覆盖了附近的其他城市，比如阿尔布开克。ATF的一位发言人说，这些摄像头周三没有使用，但未来将用于这些部门。
被分配到反洗钱金融行动工作组特别反应小组的特工还没有被分配到人体摄像头，该小组是专门的战术小组，用于对美国一些最暴力的罪犯发出逮捕令。ATF的一名发言人表示，作为训练计划的一部分，该学院的所有新特工也都接受了使用人体摄像头的培训。
司法部官员说，其他机构，如缉毒署、联邦调查局和美国法警署，预计将在未来几周内开始逐步实施人体摄像头计划。该机构表示，它将“依靠国会”提供资金，为该国的每一名特工配备人体摄像头。
司法部长梅里克·加兰(Merrick Garland)说:“当执法部门和社区之间有责任和信任时，执法就最有效。“这就是为什么我们将我们的防弹衣计划扩展到我们的联邦特工，以提高透明度和信心，不仅是在我们服务和保护的社区，而且在我们的州、地方和部落执法合作伙伴中，他们每天都与我们的联邦特工一起工作。”
First set of Justice Dept. agents now wearing body cams
WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department has identified the first set of federal agents to wear body cameras under a new policy that reversed a yearslong ban, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday.
The agents, who work for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Phoenix and Detroit, will wear the cameras for pre-planned operations like arrests and searches. It is the first step under a Justice Department policy enacted earlier this year that requires all of its federal agents to wear body cameras when executing arrest warrants or searching buildings. The program is being slowly phased in.
Last October, the Justice Department formalized a new policy to allow local officers to wear body cameras during joint operations, which had reversed a policy that had strained its relationship with some law enforcement agencies. The issue had previously hit such a boiling point that Atlanta’s police chief had withdrawn city police officers from federal task forces over the issue.
But even as the Justice Department made these major policy shifts to allow the use of a tool that has been common for years with most local police agencies, there has still been confusion about the process for local task force officers -- and the length of time it will take to actually allow them to be worn in the field.
Only federal agents assigned to the two field offices have currently been assigned the cameras, though the Detroit office covers the entire state of Michigan, and the Phoenix division covers other nearby cities as well, like Albuquerque. The cameras were not used on Wednesday but would be used in those divisions going forward, an ATF spokesperson said.
Agents who are assigned to ATF’s special response teams – the specialized tactical squads used to serve warrants on some of the most violent offenders in the U.S. – have not yet been assigned body cameras. An ATF spokesperson said all new agents in the academy are also being taught to use body cameras as part of their training program.
Other agencies, like the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service are expected to begin phasing in their body-camera programs in the next few weeks, Justice Department officials said. The agency said it will “rely upon Congress” to provide funding to equip every agent in the country with a body camera.
“Law enforcement is at its most effective when there is accountability and trust between law enforcement and the community,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said. “That is why we have expanded our body worn camera program to our federal agents, to promote transparency and confidence, not only with the communities we serve and protect, but also among our state, local and Tribal law enforcement partners who work alongside our federal agents each day.”
