PHOENIX — Despite tens of millions of dollars spent on the technology, the Phoenix Police Department does not track how often officers’ body cameras fall off during use-of-force incidents.
ABC15 asked the city if it kept data on “body-worn camera dislodgements” while reporting on a violent and controversial arrest that appears to be set to end up as a federal lawsuit.
A Phoenix police spokesperson said it does not and does not believe it’s a concern.
While arresting Israel Devoe in late 2024, all three of the main officers involved had their body cameras fall off early in the process.
Police repeatedly punched, kneed, and elbowed Devoe, who was acquitted of all charges. But the total number of strikes is unknown because only glimpses of the officers’ use of force were captured on their cameras, which ended up scattered on the pavement.
“I think it's something that's becoming common with police officers, that they have their body cameras set up so that if they get into any kind of incident where they're using force against the subject, it's likely that body camera is going to fly off,” said civil rights attorney Jesse Showalter, who represents Devoe.
Phoenix police officials have declined to comment on Devoe’s arrest because of the likelihood of litigation. But records show the city found the force used by the officers was in policy.
Phoenix also released a statement to ABC15 about body camera dislodgements.
“The Phoenix Police Department does not track body-worn camera dislodgments as a separate data point,” a police spokesperson wrote. “Equipment movement can occur during dynamic encounters and, on its own, does not indicate a systemic issue. The Department has not identified any pattern suggesting this is a broader concern.”
Phoenix currently has a five-year contract worth $39 million with Axon for body cameras, city records show.
“When you have very critical incidents such as use of force, and you don't capture the incident in sufficient detail because a body camera fell off, then you've kind of lost some trust with the public,” said Dr. Eric Piza, a criminal justice professor at Northeastern University.
Piza has researched the use of body cameras in police departments, including a study that found they fell off often during use-of-force cases in one of New Jersey’s largest police departments.
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“In a study where we analyzed use of force incidents in Newark, we noticed that body cameras fell off of police officers in 34% of use of force cases that we analyzed,” he said.
At the time, Newark used a different type of body camera than Phoenix. Piza said little other public research and data exist on the issue.
“We can't, on one hand, say that this is a tool for transparency, and on the other hand, just throw our hands up when things like the body cameras falling off consistently occur,” he said. “It defeats the purpose, and it also can create some cynicism amongst the public.”
Phoenix deferred ABC15’s questions about how its body cameras are secured to Axon.
The Scottsdale-based company did not respond to repeated emails and a phone call seeking comment.
Showalter represents other people whose cases involve dislodged body cameras, including the sudden arrest of Tyron McAlpin, a falsely accused deaf man with cerebral palsy.
In an interview with ABC15, Showalter questioned whether dislodgements were intentional.
“I think the officers set them up (to fall off) deliberately,” he said.
He believes it’s to create a situation where it becomes the officers’ word versus the person they’ve used force against.
“They know that if they don't turn the body camera on, they'll be subject to discipline,” Showalter said. “The next best thing is to set it up in a way that if they decide to use force, it'll be knocked off.”
He added, “We certainly have the technology to keep the Taser secured, the firearm secured, and Phoenix needs to find a technology that will keep the body cameras secured so that we can make sure these officers are held accountable.”
Contact ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com.
