U.S. Border Patrol agents and officers may join a growing list of police agencies nationwide using body cameras in an effort to increase safety and transparency.

Officials recently completed the second phase of a feasibility study for cameras in U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations.

Donna Twyford, assistant chief at U.S. Border Patrol headquarters in Washington, D.C., said a working group appointed by Border Patrol Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske evaluated the different factors that CBP should consider in making a decision on the cameras.

The group will present a report to Kerlikowske at the end of the year, in what will be the third and final phase of the study.


A police body camera. [U-T file] (Sean M. Haffey)

If the agency moves ahead with the proposal, it would enter into negotiations with the two unions representing Border Patrol agents and CBP officers, the National Border Patrol Council and the National Treasury Employees Unions.

The feasibility study was launched at a time when law enforcement agencies across the U.S. are considering body cameras after some high-profile — and sometimes fatal — officer-involved confrontations.

Departments in San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland and Miami are among a growing list of police agencies that have begun using the cameras.


Border Patrol officials have been criticized for allegedly using excessive force.

“There is a real critical need for robust measures designed to create more accountability,” said Mitra Ebadolahi, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties.

According to statistics compiled by the ACLU, at least 27 people have died since 2010 following confrontations with CBP officers.

CBP released a scathing study of its use-of-force practices last year. The study, done by the Police Executive Research Forum, looked into 67 use-of-force incidents within the agency, ultimately finding that many of the deadly cases were unjustified and that investigations into the incidents were poorly done.


Ebadolahi said that body cameras aren’t necessarily a good thing but they can bring several benefits if used properly.

What’s critical is that CBP informs the public about the proposed cameras and is forthcoming about what those cameras potentially record. The public should have access to any video files, she said.

“You can see a tendency within this agency to withhold documentary evidence of wrongdoing. … That’s a significant problem,” she said.

During its yearlong study, CBP deployed about 30 cameras in eight locations, including Border Patrol stations, a border control checkpoint and a land border crossing, among others. Nearly 100 officers and agents participated in the study, generating an estimated 270 hours — nearly 2,000 files — of video.


The cameras, which cost between $200 and $1,000, were generally able to record for up to six hours.

“Initial indications are that, because of the varied and diverse CBP operational environments, we will more than likely require multiple deployment and product options and that, overall, a one-size-fits-all approach would be less than ideal,” Twyford said.

The National Border Patrol Council is behind the effort so long as it’s done right, said Terence Shigg, president of the council’s Local 1613, which represents about 2,000 Border Patrol agents and personnel in San Diego.

“As an agency, as a union, we understand these things are coming. We just want to make sure they’re thought out before they’re done,” he said.


“We want to make sure (camera usage) gives the public what it’s looking for and at the same time protects the agencies from unwanted scrutiny.”

Shigg, who said there’s been little communication and a “lack of cooperation” from the CBP on the issue, hopes the federal agency reaches out to the unions and to Border Patrol agents for their input.

The CBP has no additional details on the report that will go to Kerlikowske or whether it’ll be made public, spokesman Daniel Hetlage said in an email Thursday.