Body Video Cameras on Police

A bill has been introduced in the Michigan House to require all state law enforcement officers to wear a body video camera. House Republican Tom McMillan says his bill will help create a clear record of all police interactions with the public. The officer would be permitted to turn the camera off during personal time such as lunch and use of the restroom. McMillan says “camera’s don’t lie and they hold no bias.” He adds that it will protect both Michigan citizens and law enforcement personnel from any misrepresentation of the fact, following a confrontation. Also under the bill, if a copy of a video is requested, the individual who is the subject of the recording must give consent for the video to be released. And a recording must be retained up to three years in incidents involving use of force, if an arrest was made, a complaint was filed against an officer or the person videotaped requests that it be flagged and retained. Otherwise, the law enforcement agency is only required to retain the data for two weeks. The cameras would be financed by the Michigan State Police, under the proposal. Some local police departments are already using body cameras.