The police in North Rhine-Westphalia are introducing body cameras across the board. By the end of 2020, the state plans to purchase a total of around 9,000 cameras, which are intended to have a de-escalating effect in patrol duty. The devices, which are attached to uniforms, allow patrol officers to record sensitive situations on video at the touch of a button. "The cameras can defuse critical situations on patrol. And this directly protects police officers from assaults," said Minister Herbert Reul at the presentation of the bodycams in Cologne on September 25, 2019.
A scientifically monitored pilot project in the Kreispolizeibehörden of Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Wuppertal and Siegen-Wittgenstein had confirmed the de-escalating effect of the cameras. The state will invest a total of around seven million euros.
The recordings from the bodycams are transferred to local computers at the authorities and deleted from the camera. They remain on the backup computer for 14 days and can be used as evidence to avert danger or prosecute crimes and misdemeanors. "If we equip the police in North Rhine-Westphalia with bodycams, then we also need modern computers and new software to use the images. All of this must also comply with the highest data protection security standards," said Reul.
The bodycams are part of the Ministry of the Interior's modernization offensive. It was only at the beginning of the month that Reul gave the go-ahead for police officers to be equipped with smartphones. Last week, a cooperation agreement was reached between the Ministry of the Interior and the German Aerospace Center.
On Monday, the minister presented the new patrol cars for the North Rhine-Westphalian police. "Acquiring new technology is much more complex than it used to be. IT now plays a decisive role everywhere. Today, it is no longer enough to put police officers on the streets - that alone is no longer enough to guarantee internal security. We want a modern police force that keeps pace with global, digital developments," said the Minister.