Federal Police Camera and Accountability Act
This bill, the Federal Police Camera and Accountability Act, would require federal law enforcement officers to wear body cameras and to use in-car video cameras in patrol vehicles, with a detailed framework for activation, retention, access, and public disclosure. It aims to increase transparency and accountability by ensuring video and audio from encounters with the public are captured, retained for specified periods, and made available under carefully controlled rules. The bill also prohibits facial recognition or biometric surveillance in these camera systems and sets privacy protections for individuals who appear on the footage, including procedures for redactions and for requests by subjects to limit or delay release. It includes exceptions for safety, privacy, and national security, and provides enforcement mechanisms and incentives to preserve exculpatory evidence. It also tasks the government with studying training and interaction policies and requires the Attorney General to issue regulations to implement the act. In addition to body-worn cameras, the bill mandates in-car video recording in patrol vehicles, with specified retention (at least 90 days) and rules about when recording must occur (e.g., during stops, when lights are active, or when useful for safety or prosecution). Public access and disclosure provisions are built around a balance between transparency and privacy, including a public review option for certain retention decisions and priority handling for footage involving serious injury or death. The act would extend to process, control, and oversight features intended to deter misconduct, while also imposing new administrative requirements on federal agencies and their personnel.
Key Points
- 1Body cameras requirement with activation rules: Federal officers must wear body cameras, activate audio and video during calls or stops, and keep recording until the stop ends, with limited exceptions for immediate danger or private safety concerns.
- 2Privacy, disclosure, and redaction: The act prohibits facial recognition, sets privacy protections, requires redaction when releasing footage, and establishes detailed rules for public disclosure, access, and the handling of requests, including quick processing for lethal or grievous-injury cases.
- 3Retention and accessibility: Baseline retention is 6 months for body camera footage, with automatic 3-year retention triggered for use of force or complaints, and longer retention possible upon reasonable request. In-car recordings must be kept for at least 90 days, with broader access through FOIA.
- 4Public and defendant rights; enforcement: Subjects and certain representatives can inspect footage during retention, and there are provisions to protect exculpatory evidence and provide presumptions in favor of defendants or civil plaintiffs when evidence is destroyed or not captured. Misconduct or tampering triggers disciplinary action.
- 5In-car video specifics and facial recognition ban: The bill requires in-car camera systems in all patrol vehicles and explicitly bans the use of facial recognition or biometric surveillance in any camera or recording device under the act.