“To require Federal law enforcement officers to wear body cameras, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section requires federal law enforcement officers to wear body cameras—with a field of view at least as broad as the officer's vision, positioned to maximize capture of the officer's activities—and to activate both video and audio functions whenever responding to a call for service or during any law enforcement or investigative stop with a member of the public (except when an immediate threat to the officer's life or safety precludes activation, in which case activation must occur at the first reasonable opportunity), with deactivation prohibited until the stop concludes and the officer leaves the scene. The section further requires officers to notify subjects of the recording (defined as any identifiable officer, suspect, victim, detainee, conversant, injured party, or similarly situated person appearing on the footage, excluding incidental appearances) as close to the stop's inception as reasonably possible; offers to discontinue recording in private residences without warrants (non-exigent circumstances), with apparent crime victims, or with anonymous crime reporters or investigation assistants (with such offers and responses recorded prior to discontinuation); and prohibits body camera use for gathering intelligence on First Amendment-protected speech, associations, or religion; for unrelated activities; or with facial recognition or other biometric surveillance technologies. Exceptions apply when recording risks confidential informant safety, citizen informant safety, undercover officer safety, or national security; for military police, Army Criminal Investigation Command members, or protective details for federal or foreign officials; and for activation on elementary or secondary school grounds except in response to imminent threats to life or health. Body camera footage must be retained for 6 months by the employing agency (or authorized agent) before permanent deletion, during which subjects (including parents or guardians of minors under 18 years of age and spouses, next of kin, or designees of deceased subjects) and their designated legal counsel may inspect it.
This section requires each federal law enforcement agency to install in-car video camera recording equipment—capable of at least 10 hours of recording, including audio via wireless microphone—in all patrol vehicles. The section mandates recording during patrol duty; enforcement or investigative stops (e.g., traffic stops, pedestrian stops); activation of emergency lights (or when they would be activated but for concealment needs); and other situations where an officer reasonably believes recording aids prosecution, safety, or lawful purposes, with recording to continue until the relevant activity concludes. This section further requires retention of recordings for at least 90 days (prohibiting alteration or erasure beforehand, absent evidentiary or training needs); availability of relevant portions under the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. §552a); and agency maintenance of equipment, including documentation and repair of failures. (Thus, the Privacy Act governs public access to these records about individuals, subject to exemptions for law enforcement and privacy protections.)
This section prohibits cameras or recording devices authorized or required under this Act from employing facial recognition or other biometric surveillance technology. The prohibition covers real-time or post-recording use, as well as requests or agreements for another law enforcement agency or third party to perform such surveillance on behalf of the requesting officer or agency.
This section directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on federal law enforcement officer training, vehicle pursuits, use of force, and interaction with citizens, and to submit a report on the study not later than 18 months after enactment to (1) the Committees on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and Senate, (2) the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House of Representatives, and (3) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate.