R. Gil Kerlikowske, Commissioner, U. S. Customs and Border Protection, speaks at a 2014 news conference at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Craig Ruttle / AP
U.S. border patrol officials will continue their yearlong study into possibly outfitting agents with body cameras, the agency's commissioner announced Thursday.
Kerlikowske said costs, camera durability in extreme temperatures, and lack of regulations regarding the technology were all factors in the decision, said U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske.Disputes on the issue with unions representing the agency's 60,000 employees, and the camera's potential to distract agents in the field, were also cited.
“I’m directing, as a result of the feasibility study given to me, to expand camera review, including operations such as checkpoints, vessel boarding and interdictions, training academies, and outbound operations at ports of entry, as well as mobile camera options," Kerlikowske said in a call with reporters.
"We are not opposed to cameras, we have thousands of cameras in use," he added. "We saw may positive aspects of cameras and we will continue to move forward on all fronts."
Unlike large urban police departments, Kerlikowske said border patrol officials did not find cameras that were suitable for agents patrolling a wide range of unforgiving terrain, from heavy underbrush in hot and humid conditions, to very cold mountainous regions.
While not citing a specific figure, the border patrol also added that a major body camera program would, at a minimum, run into the tens of millions of dollars.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection — the nation's largest law enforcement agency — has already conducted a yearlong feasibility study into the recording devices, which was initiated after a 2013 comprehensive review of the agency's use of force and allegations of abuse and violent misconduct.
The border patrol has come under intense scrutiny and criticism from immigrant advocates over agent-involved shootings. In October, a border patrol agent pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting death a teenager on the Mexican side of the border.
The 2013 report commissioned by U.S. Customs and Border Protection found that of 67 agent-related shootings between January 2010 and October 2012, 19 resulted in deaths. The report also found that agents had repeatedly stepped in front of fleeing cars to justify opening fire, and that they shot at rock throwers from across the border instead of simply moving out of harm’s way.
Immigration advocates say body cameras would increase transparency and oversight of actions taken in the field.
But Kerlikowske said a full-scale deployment of body cameras for every employee was not necessary because there are already cameras at many of the agency's posts, such as border checkpoints. Instead, he said, officials will be looking into where the cameras can fill gaps or improve accountability.
The agency will likely make a determination on body cameras by early 2016, he added.
LINK: U.S. Border Agent Pleads Not Guilty To Fatally Shooting Teen In Mexico
LINK: Border Patrol Refutes Report That It Has Rejected Body Cameras
LINK: U.S. Border Patrol Completes Trial Run Of Body Cam Study
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