Incident: Body Camera Explosion Incident in NYPD: LE-5 Camera Battery Failure.

Published Date: 2018-10-22

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident with the NYPD officers' body cameras happened on a Sunday around midnight [77366]. 2. Published on 2018-10-22. 3. Estimated timeline: The incident likely occurred on October 21, 2018.
System 1. Vievu LE-5 body cameras [77366]
Responsible Organization 1. The Vievu LE-5 camera's battery 2. Axon (the company that acquired Vievu)
Impacted Organization 1. New York Police Department (NYPD) [77366]
Software Causes 1. The software cause of the failure incident was related to a possible defect in the camera's battery, leading to smoking and explosion [77366].
Non-software Causes 1. The explosion of the police officer's body camera was caused by a potential issue with the camera's battery [77366].
Impacts 1. The software failure incident led to the removal of thousands of officers' body cameras, specifically the Vievu LE-5 model, from use by the New York Police Department [77366]. 2. Officers who had the LE-5 cameras were left without body cameras until the issue was resolved, impacting their ability to record their interactions while on duty [77366]. 3. The incident raised concerns about officer safety, as the defective camera exploded, although fortunately, no injuries were reported [77366]. 4. The reputation of the Vievu brand, now owned by Axon, may have been negatively affected by this incident, potentially impacting their market dominance in the body camera industry [77366].
Preventions 1. Regular maintenance and testing of the body cameras' software and hardware components could have potentially identified any issues with the battery or other parts before they led to a failure incident [77366]. 2. Implementing a robust quality assurance process during the manufacturing and deployment of the body cameras to ensure that all components meet safety standards and undergo thorough testing to prevent defects or malfunctions [77366]. 3. Conducting a comprehensive risk assessment of the body camera technology, including potential hazards related to battery safety, to proactively address any known risks and prevent incidents like camera explosions [77366].
Fixes 1. Conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the camera explosion, focusing on the battery as a possible source of the problem [77366]. 2. Implement a recall and replacement program for all affected LE-5 cameras to ensure officer safety and prevent further incidents [77366]. 3. Collaborate closely with the manufacturer, Axon, to address the issue promptly and ensure the safe resolution of the situation [77366].
References 1. The New York Police Department (NYPD) [Article 77366] 2. Vievu (manufacturer of the body cameras) [Article 77366] 3. Axon (acquirer of Vievu) [Article 77366]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident related to the exploding body camera happened within the same organization, the New York Police Department (NYPD). The incident involved the Vievu LE-5 camera, which is a product used by NYPD officers. The department had to remove thousands of officers' body cameras due to the incident, and the cause of the defect is being investigated [77366]. (b) There is no information in the provided article about a similar incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services.
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in this case seems to be related to the design phase. The incident occurred due to a potential issue with the camera's battery, which is a component of the design of the body camera system. The New York Police Department removed the officers' body cameras after one camera exploded, indicating a design flaw that could have been introduced during the system development or manufacturing process [77366]. (b) There is no specific information in the provided article indicating that the software failure incident was due to factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system.
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident of the NYPD officers' body cameras can be categorized as within_system. The article mentions that the issue was related to the camera's battery, which is an internal component of the body camera system. The department pointed to the camera's battery as a possible source of the problem, indicating that the failure originated from within the system itself [77366].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in this case was not directly attributed to non-human actions but rather to a hardware issue. The article mentions that the New York Police Department removed officers' body cameras after one camera exploded, with the department pointing to the camera's battery as a possible source of the problem. The cause and scope of the defect are being investigated, indicating a hardware-related issue rather than a non-human action [77366]. (b) The failure in this incident was not due to human actions but rather a hardware-related issue. The article states that the Staten Island officer's body camera started to smoke and then exploded on the ground, leading to the removal of all LE-5 cameras used by officers. The focus of the investigation seems to be on the camera's battery as a potential source of the problem, suggesting a hardware failure rather than a failure caused by human actions [77366].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The software failure incident in this case was related to hardware. The article mentions that a New York Police Department officer's body camera, specifically the Vievu LE-5 camera, started to smoke and then exploded while the officer was on duty. The department pointed to the camera's battery as a possible source of the problem, indicating that the failure originated in the hardware component of the camera [77366]. (b) The software failure incident was not specifically attributed to software issues in the articles provided. The focus was on the camera's battery as a possible source of the problem, and there was no mention of software contributing to the failure [77366].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident described in the article does not indicate any malicious intent. The failure was related to a physical issue with the body camera's battery, leading to an explosion, which resulted in the removal of thousands of officers' body cameras for safety reasons. The incident was attributed to a defect in the camera's battery, and the manufacturer, Axon, stated that officer safety is of utmost importance to them and they are working closely with the NYPD to investigate the issue [77366]. (b) The software failure incident can be categorized as non-malicious, as there is no indication in the article that the failure was caused by any intentional actions to harm the system.
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown The software failure incident involving the explosion of a New York Police Department officer's body camera does not directly point to a software-related issue. The incident was attributed to the camera's battery as a possible source of the problem, leading to the removal of all LE-5 cameras and an investigation into the cause and scope of the defect [77366]. Therefore, the intent of the software failure incident in this case is unknown as it does not clearly fall under either poor_decisions or accidental_decisions.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident in this case does not seem to be related to development incompetence. The incident was specifically related to a physical issue with the body camera's battery, which caused it to smoke and explode. The article mentions that the cause and scope of the defect are being investigated, indicating that it was a hardware issue rather than a software development problem [77366]. (b) The software failure incident appears to be accidental in nature. The article describes how the body camera used by a police officer started to smoke and then exploded while the officer was on duty. The incident was not intentional and no one was injured in the process. The manufacturer, Axon, stated that they are working closely with the NYPD to investigate the issue and ensure officer safety, indicating that the failure was accidental rather than intentional [77366].
Duration temporary The software failure incident reported in Article 77366 is related to the malfunction of the Vievu LE-5 body cameras used by the New York Police Department. The incident was temporary in nature as the failure was specific to the LE-5 model cameras, leading to the removal of these cameras from service while officers using the LE-4 model continued to use them [77366]. The department mentioned that the cause and scope of the defect are being investigated, indicating that the failure was not permanent but rather a specific issue with the LE-5 cameras.
Behaviour other (a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article is not a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The incident involved the explosion of a police officer's body camera, which was attributed to a possible issue with the camera's battery [77366]. (b) omission: The software failure incident is not an omission where the system omits to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The incident did not involve the camera failing to perform its functions but rather malfunctioning and exploding [77366]. (c) timing: The software failure incident is not a timing issue where the system performs its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The incident did not involve a timing-related failure but rather a sudden malfunction leading to an explosion [77366]. (d) value: The software failure incident is not a value issue where the system performs its intended functions incorrectly. The incident did not involve the camera providing incorrect data or output but rather a physical malfunction leading to an explosion [77366]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident is not a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The incident did not involve erratic or inconsistent behavior but rather a sudden malfunction leading to an explosion [77366]. (f) other: The software failure incident can be categorized as a physical failure rather than a software failure. The incident involved a Vievu LE-5 body camera exploding, which was attributed to a possible issue with the camera's battery. This physical malfunction led to the removal of thousands of officers' body cameras by the NYPD [77366].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence theoretical_consequence (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? The consequence of the software failure incident: - The software failure incident involving the explosion of a New York Police Department officer's body camera did not result in any injuries or deaths [77366]. - The consequence of the software failure was the removal of thousands of officers' body cameras as a precautionary measure due to the potential safety risk posed by the defective camera battery [77366].
Domain information, government (a) The failed system in this incident was related to the industry of information. The New York Police Department had to remove thousands of officers' body cameras, specifically the Vievu LE-5 model, due to a potential defect that caused one camera to explode [77366]. The incident highlighted the importance of officer safety and the need to investigate the cause and scope of the defect in the camera's battery, which is crucial for the production and distribution of information in law enforcement operations.

Sources

Back to List