On Body Cameras, Lawmakers Weigh Privacy Versus Transparency
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP/WCCO) — As more Minnesota law enforcement agencies gear up with body cameras, the Legislature is trying to set some ground rules.
The main question facing lawmakers is whether recordings should be generally available to the public or kept under wraps. The Senate Judiciary Committee discussed a bill Wednesday that would make footage largely private but did not vote on it.
The Senate bill allows camera images in non-criminal incidents to be kept for at least 90 days, and requires the video be destroyed within a year. Images from criminal encounters can be kept for at least one year, but not more than three.
"There isn't going to be anyone at the end of the day who is going to feel that whatever we do is entirely satisfactory," Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, said. "I think there isn't any way to strike a complete balance that recognizes everyone's interest in privacy and everyone's interest in public accountability."
The small cameras are already in use in Burnsville, Duluth and other cities. Minneapolis police are testing them.
Law enforcement representatives back the bill because they say broader access would release Minnesotans' private situations to the public and may subject police officers to frivolous complaints.
Open government advocates like the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota say making the data private would strip body cameras' power to keep police accountable.
