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Body Worn Camera Policy

Body Worn Camera Policy

Applies to: Original Policy Date: Date of Last Review Approved by:
All Florida Tech Security Officers February 2026 02-18-2026 Dr. John Nicklow, President

Policy owner: Department of Security

Policy Purpose

This policy governs the use of Body Worn Cameras (BWCs) by Florida Tech Security Officers and outlines procedures for recording, storing, accessing, and reviewing footage. It is designed to promote transparency, accountability, and public safety while protecting the privacy rights of students, employees, contracted workers, volunteers, and affiliated organizations.

Policy Scope

This policy applies to all uniformed Florida Tech Security Officers authorized to use Body Worn Cameras in the performance of their official duties.

Policy Statement

Florida Tech Security Officers shall receive formal training in the use, operation, and legal considerations of Body Worn Cameras. Officers must comply with all procedures outlined in this policy, including activation protocols, privacy safeguards, data retention, and review processes. Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action.

FERPA & Privacy

Body-worn camera recordings created and maintained by Campus Security are considered law enforcement unit records under FERPA when used exclusively for law enforcement purposes. If any portion of a recording is shared for non-law enforcement purposes (e.g., student discipline, Title IX investigations), those copies become education records subject to FERPA protections.

Public Records

Florida Tech is a private institution and not subject to Florida’s public records law (Chapter 119, F.S.), except where required by law or when acting on behalf of a public agency. Requests for release of BWC footage will be reviewed in accordance with university policy and applicable state or federal law.

Procedures/Guidelines

Body Worn Camera (BWC) footage provides objective evidence of what occurred and plays a crucial role in enhancing transparency, promoting officer accountability, and fostering public trust. BWCs also serve as a powerful deterrent to misconduct by both officers and members of the public interacting with Campus Security. As such, BWC’s have gained wide support among the public and law enforcement, alike. The procedures established in this Policy are designed to help the Department of Security achieve an optimal balance between promoting officer accountability and transparency with the privacy and interests of students, faculty, staff, and visitors to Florida Tech.

General:

  1. A Security Officer employed by the department may only use a BWC system that has been issued and approved by the department;
  2. An officer equipped with a BWC must comply at all times with the requirements established in this policy and by law;
  3. A BWC shall be used only in performance of official Campus Security duties and not for personal purposes;
  4. No BWC recording shall be accessed, viewed, copied, disseminated, or otherwise used by an officer or employee of the department except for an official purpose specified in this policy or by law;
  5. Any Campus Security Officer or employee who knowingly violates the requirements of this policy shall be subject to discipline.

Officers Required to Wear BWC’s: The following officers shall receive training in the proper use and operation of BWCs and will be required to be equipped with BWCs and adhere to the provisions of this Policy when performing their duties:

  • All uniformed Campus Security officers while acting in the performance of their official duties.

Duty to Inspect and Report Malfunction. A Security Officer equipped with a BWC shall be responsible for determining that the device is fully functional and that its battery is adequately charged at the start of the officer’s duty shift and before going out on patrol. If a malfunction is detected, the officer shall report the malfunction to a supervisor before going on patrol. If the BWC malfunctions while out in the field, the malfunction upon its discovery shall be reported to a supervisor or command officer as soon as it is safe and practicable to do so.

Public Notice. The Department of Security will take reasonable steps to inform the campus community of the use of this technology. The department shall publish a statement on the Florida Tech website that it deploys BWCs.

Truthful Response to Specific Inquiries. If a member of the campus community or public inquires of an officer whether the officer is equipped with a BWC, or inquires whether the device is activated, the officer shall answer truthfully unless the Director of Security, or their designee, has expressly authorized the officer to make a covert electronic recording.

BWC’s Used Only in Performance of Official Duties. A BWC shall be activated only while in performance of official duties and for the purpose of recording incidents, investigations, and officer- civilian contacts. A BWC shall not be activated while the officer is on break or otherwise is not actively performing their official functions (e.g., while eating meals, while communicating with campus safety/law enforcement personnel unrelated to official duties); in places where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy (e.g. restrooms, locker rooms, residence halls, medical or counseling spaces), except during an active pursuit; when conducting tactical planning; nor during discussions with individuals of privilege such as attorneys, clergy, and medical professionals, etc. A BWC shall further not be activated or used by an officer for personal purposes, nor shall a BWC be used to record conversations involving counseling, guidance sessions, personnel evaluations, or any similar supervisory interaction. Any recordings from a BWC that violates this policy, or any other applicable law shall be immediately brought to the attention of a Supervisor and the Director of Security, and be reviewed for deletion where appropriate.

Circumstances When BWC Activation is Generally Required. Except as otherwise expressly provided in any other provision in this Policy, an officer equipped with a BWC shall be required to activate the device whenever the officer is responding to a call for service or at the initiation of any other enforcement or investigative encounter between an officer and a member of the campus community or public. This includes, but is not limited to, the circumstances listed below, unless there exists an immediate threat to the officer’s life or safety that makes such activation impossible or dangerous:

  • the officer is responding to a call for service and is at or near the location to which the officer has been dispatched;
  • the officer is providing assistance to an operator of a motor vehicle or issuing a parking summons;
  • the officer is engaged in a response to any type of civil disorder in circumstances where the officer is engaged with or in the presence of the public and the officer or any other officer on the scene may be required to employ constructive authority or force;
  • the officer uses constructive authority or force, or reasonably believes that constructive authority or force may be used in any encounter or situation not otherwise listed in this subsection based on specific and articulable facts warranting heightened caution that are documented by narration on the recording and/or in any investigation or incident report;
  • Or any time instructed to do so by a supervisor or command level officer.

In situations that make immediate activation of the BWC impossible or dangerous, the officer must activate the camera at the first reasonable opportunity to do so and it shall remain activated until the encounter has fully concluded, and the officer leaves the scene.

When a BWC is required to be activated by an officer pursuant to this policy, the device must remain activated throughout the entire encounter/event/episode and shall not be de-activated until it is concluded (e.g., the BWC-equipped officer has left the scene; all parties involved in the encounter have left the scene; the officer has informed the communication center or a supervisor that the event has concluded; the event is “completed” on the department’s computer-aided dispatch (“CAD”) system, etc.).

Retention of BWC Recordings:

Automatic 30 days (1 month) Retention Period. A BWC recording shall automatically be retained for not more than 30 days (1 month).

Recorded events are automatically stored on the system’s cloud-based server as part of its BWC recording for a maximum of thirty (30) days. All BWC data will be stored using a secure, encrypted cloud-based system that complies with applicable data protection standards. Recordings are to be used for official business only. Recording may be kept longer than thirty (30) days if needed as part of a criminal investigation or court proceedings (criminal or civil) or for other bona fide use as approved by the Director of Security. Should monitoring reveal activity that violates laws or policies, an investigation will be initiated.

  • All BWC equipment and all data, images, video, and metadata captured, recorded, or otherwise produced by the equipment is designated as the sole property of the Department of Security;
  • Campus Security employees are prohibited from editing, altering, erasing, duplicating, copying, sharing, or otherwise distributing in any manner BWC recordings without the approval of the Director of Security;
  • Security Officer must make requests to the Director of Security for the deletion of unintentional recordings. The request will be submitted in writing on departmental form and will be kept on file;
  • Security Officer are permitted to view Digital Media Evidence (DME) recorded through a BWC during the investigation of a critical incident, prior to writing a report and prior to an administrative investigation;
  • A supervisor may preserve any DME that they feel has evidentiary or exculpatory value;
  • When a BWC records an incident that is the subject of an internal affairs complaint, the recording shall be kept pending final resolution of the internal affairs investigation and any resulting administrative action.
  • Requests from University entities to release information obtained through BWCs must be submitted to and approved by the Director of Security, the Vice President of External Affairs and Strategic Advisor to the President, or the President prior to release. All requests from sources external to the University, other than law enforcement, to release information obtained through BWCs must be approved by the University’s General Counsel, Vice President of External Affairs and Strategic Advisor to the President, and the President. BWCs utilized for any criminal investigations are subject to appropriate State and Federal laws and are excluded from this policy.

Professional Standards investigator will have access to DME when there is an allegation or complaint of employee misconduct. The investigator will have access to only the DME recordings directly related to the incident in question and only within the scope of the investigation. If misconduct is discovered during regular or periodic review of DME recordings, said misconduct will be reported to the Director of Security.

Yearly Audit

The Assistant Director of Security or designee will conduct a yearly audit of the BWC program and forward their report to the Director of Security for review.

Enforcement

Failure to comply with and abide by the rules and regulations set forth in policy may give rise to disciplinary action, up to and including separation from the University.

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