Rochester NY Police Department - Using BWC Footage for Training and Continual Improvement in Constitutional Policing

Body-worn camera (BWC) programs are well-established in many large and mid-sized police agencies across the country, and many agencies have stored vast amounts of BWC footage. BWC footage is typically used for prosecution, training, and discipline, but uses are limited by the time it takes for individuals to view footage; agencies produce much more footage than can be reasonably viewed. Advances in computer vision and other machine learning algorithms mean that algorithms can potentially take on the burden of scanning BWC footage. The applicants plan to build algorithms that can populate datasets to help RPD track subject behaviors encountered by officers, and flag conduct for review for discipline or training. The applicants also plan to build algorithms that help RPD analysts pair videos showing similar incidents that led to divergent outcomes, to allow RPD experts to improve training, and that can identify incidents in which subjects’ or officers’ stress levels spike or decline. The use of machine learning algorithms will help police agencies mine value from their mountains of BWC data.