Issues Surface in the Police Body Camera Debate

Amidst the current debate surrounding the use of body cameras by police officers, two major issues have come to the forefront of the attention, namely how to store the footage from the cameras and how to protect the privacy of those individuals in the videos. The issues of funding for body camera programs and when to allow the officers to turn their cameras off have also been called into question.

During a meeting of the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL), Susan Parnas Fredrick presented on the issues behind implementing these programs. She discussed House Resolution 103 proposed by United States Representative John Conyers (D-Detroit), which would allow the U.S. Attorney General’s office to create an incentive based grant program for the funding of these programs. A congressional subcommittee is still debating this plan.

One Texas legislator, state Senator Royce West (D-Dallas, Texas), disclosed that much of the cost behind these programs does not stem from the cameras themselves, but rather from the storage of video captured by the cameras. In order to address this issue in Texas, Mr. West worked to appropriate $10 million to go with another $2 million in federal funds.

Some Michigan legislators have started work on this issue with Representative Rose Mary Robinson (D-Detroit) and Senator Coleman Young II (D-Detroit) both having introduced legislation requiring body cameras to be worn in certain areas of the state, while Representative Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) has introduced a bill to exempt video or audio recordings of private places from the Freedom of Information Act. If legislation is adopted, Michigan would follow 21 other states in addressing the use of body cameras.

posted by PAA Online , Friday, August 7, 2015 10:37 AM
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