Border Patrol Trucks To Get Dashboard Cams

By Adrian Florido, Michel Marizco
September 25, 2013

TUCSON, Ariz. — After criticism for its use-of-force policies, officials with the United States Border Patrol said the agency is going to revamp basic training for new agents and begin testing dashboard-mounted video cameras on agency vehicles.

The agency is also considering placing those cameras right on agents' chests.

The move comes amid growing public concerns about use of force against detained immigrants by Border Patrol agents, and shortly after an internal report suggested better use-of-force training for agents.

The policy change doesn’t affect when an agent can use deadly force. For example, an agent can still fire on someone attacking with rocks. But Customs and Border Protection will add training on rock-throwing situations.

Since 2010, Border Patrol agents have killed eight people whom they said were assaulting them with rocks. A recent report by the ACLU attributed 19 total deaths to Border Patrol agents during that time.

Adding dashboard-mounted cameras wasn’t a surprise to Border Patrol union vice president Shawn Moran. But lapel cameras might be.

“We don’t work like a regular police department. We don’t have ready access to places that have bathrooms, that’s a huge concern for our female agents," Moran said.

The agency will also add a mock border wall to its training center in New Mexico for agents to practice on.