AB 335

Current law does not require law enforcement agencies to use body cameras on

law enforcement officers, but current law regulates what a law enforcement agency

must do if it uses a body camera on a law enforcement officer. Under current law, if

a law enforcement agency uses a body camera on an officer, the agency must have

a written policy regarding the use and storage of the cameras and any limitations on

which officers will wear them and on situations and encounters that may be recorded

and the agency is subject to the records retention provisions regarding data from the

camera.

This bill requires the Department of Justice to award grants to law enforcement

agencies to purchase body cameras to use on law enforcement officers whose primary

duties are patrolling duties. A law enforcement agency that receives a grant must,

for at least three years after receiving the grant funds, use body cameras on all such

law enforcement officers and require the officers to activate the camera in situations

in which the officer has contact with a member of the public while enforcing laws or

investigating conduct. Such situations include traffic stops, arrests, searches,

interrogations, or interviews.

Under the bill, law enforcement agencies may apply for the grants. The

application must contain a proposed plan to spend the grant money, including the

estimated cost per body camera and the number of body cameras needed; a statement

indicating that the law enforcement agency will match the amount of the grant it

receives; and the amount of time the law enforcement agency anticipates it will need

after receiving the grant money to comply with the requirement that all of its patrol

officers use a body camera. The agency also must agree to maintain the equipment

for at least three years after the grant is awarded. If available grant funds are not

sufficient to award grants to all eligible applicants, DOJ may consider fairness

among different population areas and need based on crime rates when awarding the

grants.

The bill also requires DOJ to consult with vendors of body cameras, within 90

days after the bill is enacted, to find cost-saving measures that a law enforcement

agency may use when applying for a grant. The bill also requires DOJ and the

Department of Administration to develop options for reducing the cost of storing data

from body cameras used by law enforcement agencies.