BJA FY 18 Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program | BJA 2018 13574

Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2018 13574

The BJA FY 18 Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program (Funding Opportunity Number BJA 2018 13574) is a discretionary grant offered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, to help law enforcement agencies plan, roll out, and assess body-worn camera (BWC) programs. The program is framed around BWCs as one practical tool within a broader, agency-wide problem-solving and accountability approach, rather than as a standalone technology purchase. At its core, the opportunity is meant to strengthen officer safety, improve the quality and availability of evidence, and support better day-to-day interactions between officers and the public in ways that can build community trust and encourage more cooperative relationships.

A major point of the program is that funding is not limited to buying cameras. While camera acquisition is an allowable and expected part of many projects, BJA is emphasizing that successful BWC programs require the surrounding infrastructure: clear and legally sound policies, training, implementation planning, stakeholder engagement, and ongoing evaluation. That includes work such as developing or refining policies on activation and deactivation, notice to the public when recording, handling sensitive situations, responding to public records requests where applicable, setting retention schedules, controlling access to video, ensuring secure storage, and maintaining a reliable chain of custody so footage can hold up as evidence. The opportunity also highlights the importance of keeping pace with evolving technology, training requirements, and legal standards, recognizing that BWC programs can quickly run into operational and legal challenges if agencies treat them as a simple equipment rollout.

The program also expects applicants to collaborate beyond their own department. Agencies are encouraged to coordinate with other parts of the criminal justice system and with community stakeholders, since body-worn camera footage affects more than patrol operations. Coordination can involve prosecutors, courts, public defenders, victim advocates, records and IT units, oversight bodies, and community groups, especially when shaping policies on privacy, release of footage, and how recordings are used in complaints, investigations, and prosecutions. The goal is to reduce friction later by aligning expectations early, and to ensure the program’s rules and practices are workable in real cases and credible to the public.

Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The opportunity is listed under CFDA 16.835 and falls under activity categories tied to law, justice, legal services, and technology/research and development, reflecting the mix of operational policing needs and technical program requirements (such as storage, security, and data management). The solicitation was created on May 1, 2018, with an original closing date of May 31, 2018.

In terms of scale, awards were capped at an award ceiling of $1,000,000, and BJA anticipated making about 28 awards. Overall, the grant is designed to help agencies move from interest in body-worn cameras to a functioning, defensible program that is supported by training and policy, integrated with partner agencies, and built to improve safety, evidence quality, and public confidence over time.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the law, justice and legal services, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 18 Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.835.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 01, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 31, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 28 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).

Apply for BJA 2018 13574

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