华盛顿——官员们周二表示，作为为期六个月的试点项目的一部分，国土安全部调查部门的特工将首次佩戴人体摄像头，该项目将重点关注在联邦执法中使用该技术的成本和收益。
一名高级官员告诉记者，在测试期间，休斯顿、新泽西纽瓦克和纽约国土安全调查局类似特警的特别反应小组的55名成员将使用这些摄像头。
国土安全调查的重点是跨国联邦犯罪，如毒品和人口贩运和欺诈，是美国移民和海关执法局的一个组成部分，更广为人知的是ICE。
这位要求匿名的洲际交易所高级官员在宣布之前向记者透露了该计划的细节，他说，该机构预计稍后将扩大试点范围，以包括负责移民执法逮捕的官员。
该项目虽然只是一项测试，但代表着一项已经在州和地方执法部门广泛使用的技术的扩展。今年9月，凤凰城和底特律的烟酒火器和爆炸物管理局的特工成为首批佩戴人体摄像头的联邦官员，其他机构也有望效仿。
DHS国务卿亚历杭德罗·马约尔卡斯在宣布该计划时说:“凭借其佩戴在身上的摄像头飞行员，洲际交易所正在发表一项重要声明，即透明度和问责制是我们履行执法使命和维护社区安全的能力的重要组成部分。”。
国土安全调查局的特工在执行预先计划的逮捕、询问嫌疑人和执行搜查令时，预计会使用人体摄像头。
这位官员说，作为发现过程的一部分，刑事案件中的辩护律师可以获得这些视频，但程度要更有限，并且根据《信息自由法》对其他人有所限制。
试点计划旨在评估计划的成本和设备的有效性，预计将发布调查结果的摘要。
DHS正在与代表洲际交易所执法官员的工会就该项目的某些方面进行谈判，官员们没有说明这部分试点何时开始。
US Homeland Security agents to test use of body cameras
WASHINGTON -- Agents with an investigative unit of the Department of Homeland Security will wear body cameras for the first time as part of a six-month pilot program that will focus on the costs and benefits of using the technology in federal law enforcement, officials said Tuesday.
The cameras will be used during the test by 55 members of the SWAT-like special response teams at Homeland Security Investigations in Houston, Newark, New Jersey, and New York, a senior official told reporters.
Homeland Security Investigations, which focuses on transnational federal crimes such as drug and human trafficking and fraud, is a component of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE.
The senior ICE official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to provide details on the program before the announcement, said the agency expects later to expand the pilot to include officers who conduct immigration enforcement arrests.
The program, even though only a test, represents an expansion of the use of a technology already widely used in state and local law enforcement. In September, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Phoenix and Detroit became the first federal officers to wear body cams, and other agencies were expected to follow suit.
“With its body worn camera pilot, ICE is making an important statement that transparency and accountability are essential components of our ability to fulfill our law enforcement mission and keep communities safe,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in announcing the program.
Special agents with Homeland Security Investigations are expected to use the body cams when carrying out such actions as making pre-planned arrests, questioning suspects and executing search warrants.
The footage could be available to defense lawyers in criminal cases as part of the discovery process as well as to a more limited degree and with restrictions to others under the Freedom of Information Act, the official said.
The pilot program is intended to evaluate the cost of the program and the effectiveness of the equipment, and a summary of the findings is expected to be released.
DHS is negotiating aspects of the program with the union that represents ICE enforcement officers, and officials did not say when that part of the pilot would start.
