Police CAMERA Act of 2025
The Police CAMERA Act of 2025 (H.R. 1188) would create a new federal grant program to help state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies purchase, deploy, and maintain body-worn cameras (BWCs) and securely store recorded data. The program aims to deter excessive force, improve accountability and transparency, assist with handling complaints, and enhance evidence collection. Grants would be funded with up to 75% federal support and a 2-year grant period, with requirements that agencies adopt public-facing policies, data collection/retention protocols, privacy protections, and limits on how footage can be used or shared. The act also establishes training resources, a mandatory reporting and data-collection framework, and a congressional study to evaluate the program’s impact. In short, the bill ties federal funding to specific policy, privacy, and data-management requirements intended to standardize BWC programs, increase transparency, and provide a data-driven assessment of effectiveness.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a new Part MM under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act to create a matching grant program for body-worn cameras and the associated data storage, security, and program implementation costs.
- 2Grants are 2 years long; 50% upfront and 50% after grantees meet specified requirements; federal share cannot exceed 75% of total program cost (with tribal/Indian affairs funds able to cover non-federal share; waivers possible for financial hardship).
- 3Eligible recipients: States, units of local government, and Indian Tribes; funds may be used for cameras, implementation costs (including training), data storage/maintenance/security, and policy development to comply with program requirements.
- 4Preconditions and policies: Grantees must develop and publish policies before officers use BWCs, adopt data collection/retention protocols, and make policies/protocols publicly available; must comply with data-use rules for recorded footage.
- 5Data standards and privacy: Policies must address safe use, secure storage, privacy protections, and, importantly, protections around facial recognition technology (limits on use, judicial authorization, serious crime thresholds, and double-verify identifications).
- 6Data governance and transparency: Recording data protocols require explanations for non-recorded activities, consent from victims/witnesses when possible, minimization of irrelevant data, activity logging of data access, prohibition on unauthorized access, and mandatory statistical reporting (use of force by demographics, complaints, footage usage, etc.).
- 7Data use and transfers: Footage generally restricted to investigations of misconduct, evidence in criminal cases if there is reasonable suspicion, or limited training; transfers to other agencies are restricted, with specific exceptions for criminal investigations and civil rights claims.
- 8Accountability and reporting: Requires annual reporting from grant recipients starting two years after enactment; a standardized national data system and a nationwide database; an audit/assessment plan to ensure compliance and examine program effectiveness.
- 9Training toolkit and regulations: The Director must establish a training toolkit and regulations within 90 days of enactment to assist agencies with implementation and best practices.
- 10Study and final report: A congressionally mandated study within two years after all grants are awarded to evaluate efficacy, accountability, safety, evidence collection, privacy, facial-recognition issues, public access to footage, training needs, and other relevant factors; a final policy-recommendation report to Congress within 180 days of study completion.