Law enforcement officers could view the footage on their body cameras, before writing their official report of an incident, under legislation moving in the Florida House. The Criminal Justice Subcommittee approved the legislation this week by a vote of eleven to one.
The measure would allow police to see and hear what is on their camera, and it would be up to local law enforcement agencies to come up with policies and procedures about how the officer would review the footage.
Bill sponsor Shawn Harrison says cops respond to a wide range of calls each day, from something as simple as a barking dog to a report of shots fired.
The Republican State Representative says viewing their own body camera should help them remember what happened during a given call.
“For the officer responding to a scene, things happen quickly. They probably don’t have a full recollection of every single bit of the incident. This will allow them to review everything before they formally have to write up a report,” said Harrison.
The body camera legislation has one more committee stop in the House, before it would be ready for a vote by the whole chamber.
A similar Senate bill has yet to be heard by any committee, ahead of the 2017 regular session that starts March 7th.
