81 FR 25430 - Body Worn Camera Technologies Market Survey

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Office of Justice Programs

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 82 (April 28, 2016)

The NIJ is soliciting information in support of the upcoming National Criminal Justice Technology Research, Test, and Evaluation Center (NIJ RT&E Center) ``Market Survey of Body Worn Camera (BWC) Technologies.'' This market survey, which will identify commercially available body worn camera systems, will be published by NIJ to assist purchasing agents or other representatives of law enforcement officials in their assessment of relevant information prior to making purchasing decisions. Comments with regard to the market survey itself, including which categories of information are appropriate for comparison, as well as promotional material (e.g., slick sheets) and print-quality images in electronic format, are also invited.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 82 (Thursday, April 28, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25430-25432]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-09958]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Justice Programs

[OJP (NIJ) Docket No. 1708]


Body Worn Camera Technologies Market Survey

AGENCY: National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Justice.

ACTION: Notice of request for information.

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SUMMARY: The NIJ is soliciting information in support of the upcoming 
National Criminal Justice Technology Research, Test, and Evaluation 
Center (NIJ RT&E Center) ``Market Survey of Body Worn Camera (BWC) 
Technologies.'' This market survey, which will identify commercially 
available body worn camera systems, will be published by NIJ to assist 
purchasing agents or other representatives of law enforcement officials 
in their assessment of relevant information prior to making purchasing 
decisions. Comments with regard to the market survey itself, including 
which

[[Page 25431]]

categories of information are appropriate for comparison, as well as 
promotional material (e.g., slick sheets) and print-quality images in 
electronic format, are also invited.

DATES: Responses to this request will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. 
Eastern Standard Time on May 31, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Responses to this request may be submitted electronically in 
the body of, or as an attachment to, an email sent to 
[email protected] with the required subject line ``Body 
Worn Camera Federal Register Response.'' Questions and responses may 
also be sent by mail (please allow additional time for processing) to 
the following address: National Criminal Justice Technology Research, 
Test and Evaluation Center, ATTN: Body Worn Camera Federal Register 
Response, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 
Johns Hopkins Road, Mail Stop 17-N444, Laurel, MD 20723-6099.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information on this request, 
please contact Vivian Hung (NIJ RT&E Center) by telephone at (240) 228-
2286 or [email protected]. For more information on the NIJ 
RT&E Center, visit http://nij.gov/funding/awards/Pages/award-detail.aspx?award=2013-MU-CX-K111 and view the description, or contact 
Jack Harne (NIJ) by telephone at 202-616-2911 or at 
[email protected]. Please note that these are not toll-free 
telephone numbers.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Information Sought: Information is sought for an upcoming ``Market 
Survey of Body Worn Camera (BWC) Technologies,'' which seeks to 
identify commercially available body worn camera systems for law 
enforcement use.
    Usage: This market survey will be published by NIJ to assist law 
enforcement agencies in their assessment of relevant information prior 
to making purchasing decisions.
    Information Categories: Comments are invited with regard to the 
market survey, including which categories of information are 
appropriate for comparison, as well as promotional material (e.g., 
slick sheet) and print-quality photographs of the technology. At a 
minimum, the Center intends to include the following categories of 
information for each Body Worn Camera technology that may be of use to 
law enforcement officials:

1. Vendor Information

a. Name
b. Address and phone number of corporate office
c. Web site
d. Years your company has been in business
e. Number and types of customers (e.g., municipal, county, or state 
officers)
f. Location where technology is manufactured, assembled, or refurbished

2. Product Information--BWC

a. General
    i. Name and model number
    ii. Physical dimensions (height x width x depth, in inches) of 
device
    iii. Weight (in ounces) of device
    iv. Mounting options (e.g., head, chest, glasses, helmet, etc.)
    1. Accessories needed for optional mounting locations
    v. Whether the BWC is able to mount on a vehicle for dashboard 
applications
    1. If so, any accessories needed
    vi. LCD display (i.e., whether the BWC has a playback screen for 
on-person video viewing)
    vii. Recording capacity (i.e., the memory storage capacity of the 
BWC)
    viii. Operating conditions or limitations (e.g., temperature, 
humidity, precipitation, high wind, etc.)
b. Video and Optics
    i. Maximum video resolution of the BWC (e.g., 640 x 480, 1080p)
    ii. Field of view of the BWC (e.g., 75[deg], 120[deg])
    iii. Lux rating of the BWC (i.e., minimum amount of light needed to 
produce an acceptable image)
    iv. Whether the BWC has a night mode and in what format (e.g., low 
light, IR lens, etc.)
    v. Recording speed of the BWC (e.g., 30 frames per second)
    vi. Recording format of the BWC (e.g., MPEG-4, MOV)
    vii. Recording time of the BWC under default resolution settings
    viii. Whether the BWC captures still photos
    ix. Whether the BWC embeds a time/date stamp in the recorded video
    1. Whether there are any means to authenticate and validate the 
integrity of the time/date stamp
    x. Whether the BWC has a pre-event record feature (i.e., a feature 
that includes a data buffer before the recorded event to show what 
triggered the recording)
    1. If so, the time buffered and whether audio is recorded
    xi. Whether the BWC possesses an event marking capability
    xii. Whether the BWC has wireless capabilities to communicate with 
a computer or external DVR unit
c. Audio
    i. Microphone feature
    ii. Microphone sensitivity
    iii. Audio format of the BWC (e.g., MP2, AAC)
    iv. Whether there is a default police radio interface for the BWC
d. Data Upload
    i. Single device vs. docking station for multiple video/audio 
upload
    ii. Data transfer method (e.g., wire, wireless, removable media 
card, etc.)
    iii. Manual vs. automatic uploading capabilities
e. Battery Information
    i. Battery type used by the BWC and whether it is internal or 
removable
    ii. Recording duration
    iii. Battery standby duration
    iv. Battery charge time
    v. Battery lifetime until replacement needed
    vi. Battery replacement procedure and where it must be done (e.g., 
field or factory), if applicable
    vii. Availability of supplemental charger for emergency battery 
charging (e.g., hand crank, backup battery, external battery charger 
with USB, solar, etc.), if applicable
f. GPS
    i. Whether the BWC possesses a GPS
    1. If so, whether GPS coordinates are embedded in recorded video
    ii. Alternative geolocation methods (e.g., using smartphone or 
Bluetooth information via cell towers)
g. Consumer Testing Results
    i. Sturdiness/fragility
    1. Drop test results
    2. Dust intrusion/water resistance rating (IPX scale)
    3. Ruggedized
    4. Pressure/depth
    5. Shock
    6. Vibrations
    ii. Whether the BWC has undergone environmental testing other than 
that listed above
    1. If so, specify tests, pass/fail results, and ratings received
h. Safeguards
    i. Privacy safeguards or features
    1. Remote viewing
    2. Remote activation/deactivation
    3. Privacy masking (i.e., feature that allows blurring or 
completely blocking certain areas to protect personal privacy or 
sensitive information)
    4. Redacting/editing capabilities
    ii. Safeguards for cyber security, unintentional disassembly, 
jamming, or intentional damage
i. Regulatory
    i. Regulatory and Compliance safety

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requirements (e.g., FCC approved) and/or any potential NIJ Technology 
Standards, if applicable
    ii. Radiation safety standards (e.g., ANSI, ICRP, NCRP, EURATOM, 
etc.), if applicable
j. Warranty and Maintenance Plans
    i. Length of warranty (in months) that comes standard with the 
system/device and the components that are covered
    ii. Optional extended warranties available
    1. Duration and cost of extended warranties
    iii. Availability of extended maintenance plans
    1. Duration and cost of extended maintenance plans
    iv. Service contract costs
k. Auxiliary equipment (e.g., car chargers, emergency chargers, etc.)
    i. Manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) for each piece of 
auxiliary equipment
l. MSRP without optional features, accessories or service plans
m. Manufacturer's estimated lifetime of the device
n. Other information or notes that are relevant to the system/device

3. Product Information--Software for Video Data Storage and Management

a. Data Management
    i. Searching capabilities
    ii. Categorizing capabilities (e.g., by law enforcement officer, 
location, incident, etc.)
    iii. Tagging capabilities (i.e., a feature that allows users to add 
additional metadata, such as case number and case notes)
    iv. Archiving and file retention capacity
    v. Data saved on or offsite (e.g., cloud storage)
    1. If saved offsite, specify data accessibility and storage costs
    2. Video data storage capacity local vs. cloud
    3. Capability to accommodate multiple site installations
    vi. Export capabilities
    1. If yes, whether there is a traceability feature that shows which 
user exported the data
    vii. Redacting/editing capabilities
    1. If redacted/edited, specify whether changes are permanent
    viii. Support provided for chain-of-custody requirements
    ix. Scalability for different organization size
    x. User management and role-based access levels
b. Video Analytics
    i. Whether there is companion software to analyze the video and 
audio data recorded by the BWCs
    ii. Types of reports that are built into the software
    1. Standard reports (e.g., distribution of number of hours of 
recording per officer in a given period)
    2. Daily reports, historical reports, etc.
    3. Audit reports that support chain-of-custody requirements
    4. Customization of reports
    iii. Facial recognition capabilities
    iv. Weapons detection capabilities
    v. Other analytical capabilities not mentioned above
c. Video Security and Authentication
    i. Compatibility of the BWC video outputs with existing video 
management software for viewing and recording
    ii. File integrity checks to ensure authenticity
    iii. Data protection mechanism while in transit and during storage 
(e.g., SSL, encryption, password strength, etc.)
    iv. Routine software updates, approximate frequency, and how it is 
updated (e.g., manual or automatic)
    v. Cost of software updates

4. Usability/Training

a. Types of processes used to ensure usability of hardware and software 
products (e.g., requirements gathering, observation, task analysis, 
interaction design, usability testing, ergonomics, interoperability, 
etc.)
b. Types of data gathered from the user community (e.g., interviews, 
observations during hands-on training, survey, satisfaction surveys, 
repeat customers, etc.) to evaluate your products, and how often it is 
collected
c. Types of user-group meetings and frequency of their occurrence 
(e.g., dedicated face-to-face hosted meetings, in conjunction with 
established meetings such as those of the Body Work Video Steering 
Group and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Police 
Technology Subcommittee, etc., interactive webinars).
d. Categories of problems reported to the vendor and estimated 
percentage of user community that experienced them within the last 
three (3) years
i. Resolution(s) to the problems identified above
e. Hours of technology support provided and location (e.g., telephone, 
web-based, or on site at agency), including any additional costs beyond 
the license/purchase
f. Hours and type of training provided (e.g., on-site, web-based, pre-
recorded, play environment etc.)

5. Installation

a. Average time to install the complete BWC system and activate the 
first BWC device (in minutes, hours, or days)

Nancy Rodriguez,
Director, National Institute of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2016-09958 Filed 4-27-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4410-18-P