If you think faceless YouTube channels are a saturated market, think again. There’s a rapidly growing niche that’s generating six figures per month for creators who never show their face or record a single clip themselves. That niche? Police body cam footage.
Creators are building highly-profitable, automated YouTube channels by sourcing real police body camera footage and repurposing it with a smart strategy. One prime example is Midwest Safety, a faceless channel pulling in massive revenue monthly by leveraging this exact model. Let’s dive deep into how it all works and how you can replicate the system step-by-step.
Real Stats: Midwest Safety Channel Breakdown
To understand the scale of this niche, take a look at Midwest Safety, one of the top channels in this space. According to public analytics:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Subscribers | 2.09 Million |
| Total Views | 1.02 Billion+ |
| Videos Uploaded | 554 |
| Monthly Views | 124 Million |
| Estimated Monthly Earnings | $31,000 – $497,000 |
| Estimated Yearly Earnings | $211,000 – $3.4 Million |
| 30-Day Subscribers Growth | 180,000 |
| Channel Rank (US) | 945th |
| News Category Rank | 406th |
Even with a conservative RPM (Revenue per 1,000 views) of $6, the channel could be earning around $300,000 monthly—that’s roughly $10,000 per day by posting faceless content sourced through public records.
Why This Niche Is Powerful
You might wonder why more creators aren’t jumping into this space. Here’s the key:
- Legal Complexity: Most people don’t understand how to legally obtain police body cam footage via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
- Fear of Demonetization: They worry about uploading violent or controversial content and getting demonetized.
- Lack of Automation Knowledge: They don’t know how to use AI to script, edit, and optimize videos without manual effort.
This leaves a huge opportunity for creators who are willing to learn the legal process and apply automation tools the right way.
How to Legally Obtain Police Body Cam Footage
Step 1: Search for a Relevant News Article
Use keywords like “Florida man arrested” or “high-speed chase” to find news stories that are not overly violent or controversial (YouTube monetization-safe).
Step 2: Identify the County and Police Department
- Find out where the incident happened (city and county).
- Search for the law enforcement agency involved.
- Locate their public records or media contact email.
Step 3: Submit a FOIA Request
- Use a FOIA email template.
- Fill in the details about the case you want footage for.
- Submit the request and be prepared to pay a fee (anywhere from $30 to $500 per clip).
Step 4: Build a Clip Library
- Reuse your purchased footage across multiple videos.
- Create compilations and themed episodes to stretch your content.
Use AI Tools to Automate Your Channel
Once you have footage (or even before), AI tools make this process even easier and scalable.
Tube Magic
- Generate SEO-optimized titles, tags, and descriptions in seconds.
- Convert true crime news articles into YouTube-ready scripts.
- Built-in legal disclaimers for safe monetization.
Vid.ai
- Paste your Tube Magic script to generate full faceless video shorts.
- Add background music, overlays, and AI-generated voiceovers.
- Soon supports long-form video automation as well.
With these tools, you could create weeks of content in a single afternoon, queue them up, and let the algorithm work for you.
What If You Can’t Afford the Footage Yet?
Not everyone has the budget to buy footage upfront. Here’s what you can do:
- Use public crime articles as your source.
- Run them through Tube Magic to generate scripts.
- Create faceless shorts or narratives using Vid.ai.
This way, you can start building traction, audience, and ad revenue until you can afford to purchase exclusive body cam footage.
Always Include a Disclaimer
YouTube takes content sensitivity seriously. Every body cam or true crime video should include a legal disclaimer in the video description.
You can access templates from Matt’s free training resources or other YouTube automation toolkits.
Summary
With channels like Midwest Safety dominating this genre, here’s what you should remember:
- Low competition due to legal and technical barriers.
- Massive earnings potential ($497K/month estimated).
- Complete automation possible using Tube Magic & Vid.ai.
- Zero face or voice needed to start.
If you’re looking for a faceless YouTube niche that actually works, this might be your best shot.
