Since Monday, 27.01.2020, the police in the Rhine district of Neuss have been using body-worn recording devices, so-called bodycams. The district administrator and head of the district police, Hans-Jürgen Petrauschke, explained during a press conference on Monday: "At a time when disrespect and violence against police officers is on the rise, the bodycams provide additional security and serve to protect the emergency services."
The devices, which are attached to the uniforms, allow patrol officers to record sensitive situations on video at the touch of a button. "The cameras can defuse critical situations. 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 district police authorities 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.