JFJ calls for police to publish internal policy on body-worn cameras

By Nakinskie Robinson 

 

 

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and its parent ministry are again under the microscope, as advocacy group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) calls for the police's internal policy on body-worn cameras to be made public. 

 

While the JCF publicly communicates its operational strategy, procurement process and body-worn camera philosophy, it does not publish its detailed, step-by-step standard operating procedures or internal camera policy in an open, public document. 

 

The specific departmental protocols governing when to record or release footage are reserved for internal use and generally shared through the JCF's internal force orders. 

 

Mickel Jackson, Executive Director of Jamaicans for Justice, said the police must make it easier for civil society to publicly access its policy position, similar to other jurisdictions.

 

"We have been looking at body-worn camera and its protocol.... But I can tell you when we were doing this review, all the policy statements across the other jurisdictions are publicly available. And I would challenge the JCF to follow suit as we talk about transparency, accountability. These policy documents ought not to be secret, there ought not to be a situation where you have to submit an ATI (Access to Information) request or ask who you know somewhere. This is our document and the JCF is ordinary policing, and with that comes the type of accountability and demand from the public. So I would challenge the JCF to put that document in a public space where it can be reviewed," she urged.

 

The call comes following a series of police fatal shootings, the latest of which - the killing of Latoya Bulgin in Granville, St. James - has sparked public outrage. 

 

Since January 2025, over 430 police fatal shootings have been documented. 

 

Meanwhile, Ms. Jackson has also taken issue with the comments by public officials in relation to the procurement of body-worn cameras. She contended that these comments further erode public trust.

 

"We listen to our Minister of National Security when he speaks and he gives the updates. So when we speak, it's never from a place of we're not informed of what's happening. It's based on public utterances made in the House, on campaign trails," she noted, pointing to statements indicating delays in the procurement of hundreds of body-worn cameras. 

 

"Some things we can't blame the JCF leadership, but the updates about delay in procurement, at some point we have to say, let's move beyond that," contended Ms. Jackson, who was addressing a public forum.

 

JFJ in its latest review has recommended that JCF policy allows for clear access for oversight bodies such as the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM); stricter access, disclosure, and footage retention clauses; as well as time-bound police reports after police fatal shootings.