The Citizens Police Oversight Commission (CPOC) today released the results of a detailed audit of body-worn camera (BWC) use by officers in the Philadelphia Police Department’s 24th District. The audit, based on a randomized sample of January 2025 incidents, evaluated compliance with Directive 4.21, which governs BWC activation, recording, and categorization.
Audit Scope & Methodology
• 75 incident reports involving vehicle stops were randomly selected.
• 64 of these reports contained BWC recordings, producing a total of 119 videos for review.
• The audit assessed compliance across several dimensions: activation timing, full-incident capture, proper standby use, categorization accuracy, and deactivation rationale.
Key Findings
• Footage Availability: 64/73 incidents (88%) that should have had BWC recordings included footage. *CPOC was not given access to two incidents for confidential reasons.
• Officer Compliance: Of 179 officers equipped with BWCs and present at incidents, 127 (71%) recorded footage appropriately.
• Full Guideline Compliance: Only 54% of recorded videos met all criteria (full incident captured, activation from standby, no prohibited content).
• Incident Completion: 73 of 119 videos (61%) captured the encounter in its entirety; 39% either started late, ended early, or both.
• Categorization: 109 of 119 videos (92%) were correctly categorized, ensuring proper storage and retrieval.
• Deactivation Compliance: 33 videos ended with early deactivation; only 2 included the required verbal explanation (6%), leaving 94% non-compliant with Directive 4.21.
• Prohibited Content: No officers were observed recording prohibited activities (such as private conversations, medical settings, or operational tactics).
“These findings demonstrate progress in the adoption of body-worn cameras, but also reveal systemic weaknesses with consistent compliance with departmental policies,” said Tonya McClary, Executive Director of CPOC. “Without full adherence to BWC protocols, the tool cannot achieve its intended purpose of safeguarding both officers and the public through transparency and accountability.”
The audit was conducted by CPOC’s Auditing, Policy, and Research Division.
“While 92% correct categorization shows officers understand the importance of evidence management, the lack of compliance around activation and deactivation timing remains a critical issue,” said Michael Tooley Jr., Senior Auditing, Policy, and Research Analyst and lead author of the report. “Nearly four out of ten incidents were not fully documented, which undermines both evidentiary integrity and community trust.”
Recommended Action Steps
CPOC has advised the Police Department to adopt several targeted measures to increase compliance:
1. Supervisors should reinforce activation requirements during roll call.
2. Officers should be reminded to activate cameras prior to all stops and to maintain recording until the encounter concludes.
3. Supervisors should verify that BWCs remain in standby mode and ready to record during patrol.
4. Assigned officers should review video tagging and labeling against written incident reports to ensure data accuracy.
Conclusion
CPOC notes that many BWC issues may stem from insufficient training, inexperience, or operational stress rather than intentional misconduct. The Commission is committed to working with PPD leadership to improve compliance, strengthen accountability, and promote consistent public trust in BWC deployment. Prior to the public release of this study and future BWC audits, CPOC met with the 24th District and plans to meet with other districts to review the findings and discuss opportunities to improve BWC compliance. This is the first of several BWC audits that will be conducted. Throughout the studies, four districts will be audited (representative of four of the six PPD divisions and CPOC plans to re-audit. The districts were selected for geographic diversity among divisions based on the number of police misconduct complaints, demographics, and volume of police activity. In this first series of BWC audits, CPOC will also release BWC audits of the 18th, 15th and 22nd districts.
Learn More:
Join us for our next Commissioners’ Public Meeting tomorrow, September 25, 2025 at 6 PM, when Senior Auding, Policy, and Research Analyst Michael Tooley will go over the findings in more detail. Watch live using zoom. Recording will be available the next day on CPOC’s YouTube Channel.
Media Inquiries:
For more information please contact Jodie Eichel at (215) 685-0891, Jodie.Eichel@phila.gov
About the Citizens Police Oversight Commission: The Citizens Police Oversight Commission (CPOC) is an independent oversight agency designed to ensure the just, transparent, and efficient administration of criminal justice in Philadelphia. CPOC is committed to conducting fair and timely investigations into police conduct, enhancing the quality of internal investigations, and fostering community engagement and trust.