Local Officers Now Allowed to Wear Body Cameras While Assisting Federal Officers
A Department of Justice guidance released on October 29, 2020 states that local police will now be allowed to wear body cameras when they assist federal law enforcement on task force operations. This decision comes after the success of a pilot program launched last year in Houston; Detroit; Wichita, Kansas; Salt Lake City; and Park City, Utah.
Police Chief Todd Axtell of St. Paul, MN said of the policy, “Transparency is good for all forms of law enforcement, whether you’re local, state or federal. We should all be held to the same standards, and I am grateful to hear that this policy has been made. This will allow our partnerships to continue and flourish moving forward.”
Many local officers wear body cameras as part of an effort to increase police transparency to the American public. Federal officers, however, are still prohibited from wearing body cameras. The body camera recordings from local officers will be considered federal property, according to the guidance, and the public will not be able to access them without consent from the DOJ. Officers will be able to wear their cameras during arrests and while carrying out search warrants but not while aiding in undercover operations.
This policy will affect about 900 federal task forces with approximately 14,000 local, state and tribal officers.
Attorney General William Barr, when announcing this shift in policy, said, “Having spent a great deal of time investigating this issue, evaluating the results of the pilot program and considering the interests and priorities of all law enforcement agencies involved, I am pleased to announce that the DOJ will allow the use of body cameras in our federal law enforcement agencies under certain circumstances.”
Larry Cosme, President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), said in his testimony before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Committee on Natural Resources on September 29, 2020, “As a general rule, it is our view that evidence has shown that body worn cameras can be an effective tool and beneficial at protecting both law enforcement officers and the individuals they interact with. For the public, they present a documented factual depiction of an incident as it occurred in real time.”
A bill to require body camera usage by federal officers, the Federal Police Camera and Accountability Act of 2019 (H.R. 3364), sponsored by Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) after the 2017 killing of Bijan Ghaisar by two U.S. Park Police officers was incorporated in the into the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which passed the House but has not moved in the Senate.
Rep. Beyer said regarding the new policy, “I’m glad to see that the Justice Department has reversed course, after a year and a half of pursuing a backwards policy of discouraging local law enforcement from using body cameras. This is a step in the right direction, but it should never have been necessary and cost crucial time. Every federal officer should use body-worn cameras, and the Administration must embrace forward-thinking reforms that improve transparency and accountability of policing.”