|
Washington –
Today,
U.S.
Senator
Tim
Scott
(R-SC)
reintroduced
the
bipartisan
Safer
Officers
and
Safer
Citizens
Act,
which
will
help
provide
body-worn
cameras
to
state,
local,
and
tribal
police
departments
to
keep
law
enforcement
officers
and
communities
safe.
The
bill
is
cosponsored
by
Senator
Cory
Booker
(D-NJ).
“Studies
across
the
nation
have
consistently
proven
that
body
cameras
can
serve
our
communities
well,”
Scott
said.
“If
a
picture
is
worth
a
thousand
words,
a
video
is
worth
a
thousand
pictures,
and
my
goal
is
to
work
alongside
my
colleagues
in
Congress
on
this
legislation,
in
efforts
to
keep
both
police
officers
and
the
communities
they
serve
safe.
While
body
cameras
might
not
be
a
panacea,
they
are
certainly
an
important
part
of
that
equation.
”
The
Safer
Officers
and
Safer
Citizens
Act
authorizes
a
new
grant
program
at
the
U.S.
Department
of
Justice
that
will
allow
departments
who
have
developed
policies
and
procedures
regarding
body-worn
cameras
to
apply
for
funds
to
aid
in
the
purchase
and
initial
setup
costs
of
their
body-worn
camera
program.
The
bill
fully
offsets
funding
for
the
new
grant
program,
which
totals
$100
million
a
year
from
fiscal
years
2018-2022.
The
bill
is
paid
for
by
directing
the
Office
of
Management
and
Budget
to
save
up
to
$500
million
through
the
disposal
of
underutilized
and
utilized
federal
properties.
Preferential
consideration
will
be
given
to
departments
whose
policies
regarding
body-worn
cameras
meet
the
following
criteria:
- A
comprehensive
policy
developed
in
consultation
with
criminal
justice
experts
and
community
members
- Contains
policies
and
procedures
and
addressing
deployment,
video
capture,
viewing,
use,
release,
storage,
retention,
the
effect
on
community-police
interactions,
and
audits
and
controls
- Supported
by
a
comprehensive
communication
and
education
campaign
- Informed
by
the
best
practices
on
body-worn
cameras
developed
by
the
DOJ
- Committed
to
submitting
data
for
the
purposes
of
studying
the
effectiveness
of
body-worn
cameras
to
increase
safety
for
both
law
enforcement
officers
and
citizens
Over
the
past
two
years,
Senator
Scott
has
worked
with
more
than
a
dozen
groups,
including
law
enforcement
associations,
civil
rights
organizations
and
privacy
advocates
to
craft
legislation
that
would
best
help
to
keep
our
officers
and
communities
safe.
###
|