HLS 17RS-571 ORIGINAL
2017 Regular Session
HOUSE STUDY REQUEST NO. 1
BY REPRESENTATIVE MARCELLE
LAW ENFORCEMENT: Requests the House Committee on the Administration of Criminal
Justice to study and make recommendations concerning the use of body worn
cameras by law enforcement agencies in this state
1 A STUDY REQUEST
2To the House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice, or a subcommittee
3 thereof, to study and make recommendations for legislation on the use of body worn
4 cameras and policies for access to and use of body worn camera recordings by law
5 enforcement officers in this state and to report its findings to the House of
6 Representatives prior to the convening of the 2018 Regular Session.
7 WHEREAS, in order to safeguard the public and peace officers of this state, it is vital
8for peace officers and the communities they protect to have strong, collaborative
9relationships; and
10 WHEREAS, trust between law enforcement agencies and the citizens they serve is
11essential to the stability of communities, the integrity of the criminal justice system, and the
12safe and effective delivery of public safety services; and
13 WHEREAS, the implementation of the use of body worn cameras by all law
14enforcement agencies may assist in preventing and resolving complaints brought by
15members of the public against peace officers, may strengthen law enforcement transparency,
16performance, and accountability, and may improve the documentation of evidence; and
17 WHEREAS, the use of video footage may discourage citizens from filing unfounded
18complaints against officers, which could save the agencies a significant amount of resources
19that would otherwise be spent on lengthy investigations and lawsuits; and
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HSR NO. 1
1 WHEREAS, body worn cameras may assist law enforcement agencies in identifying
2and correcting problems within those agencies by using footage from the cameras to provide
3scenario-based training, evaluate the performance of new officers in the field, and identify
4new areas in which training may be needed; and
5 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Law Enforcement Body Camera Task Force was
6originally created by House Concurrent Resolution No. 180 of the 2015 Regular Session and
7was re-created by House Concurrent Resolution No. 59 of the 2016 Regular Session to
8continue its work; and
9 WHEREAS, House Concurrent Resolution No. 59 directed the Task Force to study
10and make recommendations regarding the requirements for implementation and development
11of best procedures for the use of the body worn cameras and policies for access to and the
12use of body worn camera recordings by law enforcement agencies in this state and that the
13recommendations address the following issues:
14 (1) General guidelines for the proper use, maintenance, and storage of body cameras,
15which shall include recommendations on procedures for when the body camera shall be in
16recording mode.
17 (2) Any limitations on the situations in which peace officers are permitted to wear
18body cameras.
19 (3) General guidelines for the proper storage, retention, and release of audio and
20video data recorded by body cameras.
21 (4) General guidelines regarding the law enforcement training relative to each law
22enforcement agency's policies and procedures on the use of body cameras.
23 (5) Legislation needed, if any, to authorize the use of body cameras by peace officers
24in this state; and
25 WHEREAS, the Task Force met on December 9, 2015, September 22, 2016, October
2627, 2016, and December 15, 2016, to study and discuss the requirements for implementation
27of best procedures for the use of body cameras and access to body camera recordings; and
28 WHEREAS, the Task Force was unable to reach a consensus on body worn camera
29guidelines and thus did not submit recommendations prior to the 2017 Regular Session of
30the Legislature of Louisiana; and
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HSR NO. 1
1 WHEREAS, the Task Force requested additional time and legislation to continue its
2study of body worn cameras implementation and access to and the use of body worn camera
3recordings in Louisiana.
4 THEREFORE, that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby authorize and request
5the House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice, or a subcommittee thereof,
6to meet and function as a joint legislative committee to study and make recommendations
7for legislation on the use of body worn cameras and rules for access to and use of body
8camera recordings by law enforcement agencies in this state and submit its finding to the
9House of Representatives prior to the convening of the 2018 Regular Session of the
10Legislature.
11 THEREFORE, in undertaking the study, the House Committee on the Administration
12of Criminal Justice, or a subcommittee thereof, may seek input from various agencies and
13organizations and may request research, documents, or data, conduct public hearings, and
14take any other actions it deems necessary to carry out its functions.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HSR 1 Original 2017 Regular Session Marcelle
Requests the House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice, or a
subcommittee thereof, to study and make recommendations for legislation with respect to
the requirements for implementation and development of best procedures for the use of body
worn cameras and policies for access to and use of body camera recordings by law
enforcement in this state and to report its findings to the House of Representatives prior to
the convening of the 2018 Regular Session.
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