A new era of transparency and accountability is underway for the Guam Police Department, as officers are undergoing body camera training. The initiative comes as a result of a bill signed into law in 2023.

The goal? To protect both officers and the community by capturing critical moments on duty.

Senator Chris Barnett said, "I introduced this bill to handle a couple of issues with accountability and transparency - not only do the body-worn cameras tend to keep the officers who wear them accountable, but also to protect the officers and keeps a documented record of their interactions with the public." His bill, signed into law by Governor Lou Leon Guerrero in December 2023, authorizes a body camera program.

Now in 2025, Guam Police Department supervisors are undergoing train-the-trainer sessions for the new body-worn cameras. Captain Donald Flickinger, Jr. says these supervisors will then train their shifts at the precincts, explaining, "They have dual mics...they can do regular recording during the day, and they even have a night vision capability."

GPD currently has 59 body-worn cameras, with a goal to equip as many officers as possible - especially those on the front lines in Patrol, Highway Patrol, SWAT, and the Criminal Investigation Division. The cameras will be mounted on the center of an officer’s ballistic vest, providing a 180-degree field of view. They are also extremely durable and water resistant. 

Captain Flickinger added, "Let's say, it's some kind of event, like a traffic fatality, they are able to tag it off the body worn camera, so they can go back and review it later while they write their reports."

A general order outlining when and how officers must use the cameras has been drafted and is awaiting final review. "In that general order, there are specific things or incidents that they do have to turn the camera on, like traffic stops, responding to disturbances, so roughly about 95% when they are interacting with the public or at a scene, that body camera wiill be on and recording."

Officers must also inform civilians when they are being recorded, as the captain said, "For me, for example, if I'm wearing a body worn camera, when i roll up to a case and talk to somebody, I have to inform them you are being recorded, for your safety and mine."

The goal is to protect both officers and the public. We've all seen social media videos showing a small piece of an interaction—often missing what happened before or after.

"With the body worn camera, is recording as soon as he gets there," he said. So if an officer is accused of misconduct, Flickenger said, "They can go back and actually review the video from the body worn camera. So it either works in the favor of the officer or it approves or dispoves with the public is saying."

And ultimately, it builds trust. "We're now showing the public , that we are holding ourselves to a higher standard, than most peope think we are," he said.

At the end of each shift, officers dock their cameras, automatically uploading all footage as evidence. Officers can view the videos for report writing, but they cannot edit or alter them. 

Before the full rollout, a trial phase is set to begin by the end of March.