U.S. Border Patrol next month will begin testing body cameras with an eye on future use out in the field, according to a report from USA Today.

Before any agents will be donning cameras while in the field, the agency will test them at its academy in Artesia, N.M. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske said the academy testing is the first step toward widespread use.

Border Patrol has come under fire in the last several months for use-of-force violations while detaining suspects. Kerlikowske said Thursday that the agency has been given more authority to investigate such misconduct.

Depending on how the testing period goes, body cameras on officers could be one of the ways in which Border Patrol monitors itself. Recent events involving police - especially last month's shooting of an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Mo. - have increased discussions of the use of body cameras on authorities.

The U.S. Department of Justice last week handed down guidelines for the use of technology by law enforcement, which included rules about the scope of camera use, camera location on the body, recording policies, and data storage.

"Since my confirmation, I've been committed to increasing transparency and making changes to improve accountability of the CBP work force," Kerlikowske said, adding that Border Patrol's internal investigation is "part of a larger effort to hold the workforce accountable for maintaining a high standard of integrity and aligning CBP with law enforcement best practices throughout the country."

Kerlikowske didn't say how many body cameras would be bought or talk about when or whether they would be introduced to any of the 21,000 agents in the field, Fox News reported.

Critics of current policing tactics see Border Patrol's internal investigation and the possibility of more widespread use of body cameras as positive steps.

"For years, human rights advocates have called upon the government to improve the transparency of investigations at the border and we hope today marks a sea change to our nation's policies to no longer allow atrocities at the border to proceed without justice,'' said Jennifer Podkul, senior program officer at the Women's Refugee Commission.