Following an extensive test phase, the Leverkusen municipal police service has decided to equip its employees with body-worn cameras, the NetCo body cams, with immediate effect. Around 30 field staff will be equipped with these devices to increase security during their assignments. This measure is being introduced as part of a comprehensive security concept aimed at preventing verbal and physical attacks. 

Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), the public transport organization for Germany’s capital Berlin, is launching a twelve-month pilot project to introduce body cams for security staff. The use of body cams at key stations and throughout the entire subway network is intended to prevent and defuse conflict situations and better clarify incidents. The aim is to make public transport in Berlin safer and cleaner. The pilot phase initially comprises 18 body cams. 

Cologne’s public order office is successfully testing the use of bodycams. The first ten devices were introduced in the city center and used by trained personnel. Experience has shown a de-escalating effect, with the camera being activated when necessary, leading to de-escalated behavior on the part of the people approached. Various models will be tested in a six-month pilot phase before a decision is made on permanent use in the public order office. 

Nordwestbahn  GmbH, a private railroad company, has been operating local rail passenger services in north-western and western Germany since 2000. With a network of 12 lines and over 1,000 kilometers of track, Nordwestbahn transports around 22 million passengers a year. As a subsidiary of Transdev GmbH, Nordwestbahn is increasingly focusing on safety measures on trains, including the use of bodycams on the Regio-S-Bahn Bremen/Lower Saxony network.

With the start of the Cranger Kirmes, a regional festival, the municipal public order service of the city of Herne is introducing a one-year pilot phase with seven bodycams. The main aim is to improve safety and protect the emergency services and citizens through de-escalation. The body cams are intended to objectively record events in dangerous situations in image and sound and thus contribute to the clarification of assaults. 

The city of Moers is planning the nationwide introduction of bodycams for all of its law enforcement personnel in traffic monitoring. This step follows a successful test with four devices in June and August. The bodycams are used to document disputes and are intended to increase employees’ subjective sense of security and safety. 

The public order office of the city of Hamm is now using bodycams to ensure the safety of its employees and to better document possible incidents of violence. This measure aims to improve the prevention of violence and provide clear evidence in the event of an emergency.

The city of Witten is planning to procure bodycams to supplement the equipment for its field staff in the public order department. The main objective is to increase employee safety and document violent incidents. This step was made possible by the amendment of the law on public order authorities in NRW and is strongly supported by local politics.

The city of Krefeld in North Rhine-Westphalia (230.000 inhabitants) is equipping its municipal public order staff with bodycams to increase their safety. This step serves both to preserve evidence during operations and to protect employees. The decision was made on the basis of positive police experience with bodycams.

The Münster Municipality in North Rhine-Westphalia (300.000 inhabitants)  is equipping its municipal public order staff with bodycams to increase their safety. The use of the bodycams is limited to certain areas of operation.