In the wake of widely publicized incidents of alleged police misconduct and officer-involved shootings, more and more cities around the country are equipping their police officers with body-worn cameras. But something else is happening, too: State lawmakers are setting new rules about who gets access to all that footage.
The debate over how to treat body-cam footage under sunshine laws raises questions about how to balance police accountability and the privacy interests of ordinary citizens. It also carries the risk that the hoped-for benefits of the cameras won’t be realized, if access is restricted too much. Both themes were in play in recent debates in the Midwest. Continue…
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