Requiring the use of body cameras by law enforcement and providing a penalty. (FE)

1. Requires the Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB) to develop a statewide policy for a law enforcement officer's use, maintenance, and storage of a body camera or a dashboard-mounted camera, and data recorded by such a camera by January 1, 2025. Under the bill, the policy developed by the LESB will replace the policy of a law enforcement agency. Under the bill, the LESB policy must require law enforcement officers to record every encounter with a civilian. Exceptions to this standard must be specific and based on best practices under the bill.

2. Specifies that if a law enforcement officer intentionally violates a written policy on body cameras by failing to use the camera, the law enforcement officer is guilty of the crime of misconduct in public office, a Class I felony.

3. Specifies that a law enforcement agency that is using a body camera on a law enforcement officer on the effective date of the bill is required to continue use of a body camera on that law enforcement officer until January 1, 2025, when the LESB policy will take effect.

4. Requires a law enforcement agency to provide body cameras to each of its law enforcement officers and dashboard-mounted cameras for each of its vehicles by January 1, 2025.

5. Requires a law enforcement agency to conduct periodic reviews of body camera and dashboard-mounted camera footage for compliance with the law enforcement agency's use of force policy. If the law enforcement agency determines, as a result of such a periodic review, that a law enforcement officer has violated a use of force policy, the bill requires that the law enforcement agency immediately terminate employment of the law enforcement officer.

6. Applies to dashboard-mounted cameras the current data retention and open records requirements for body cameras.

Also, under current law, a collective bargaining unit that represents law enforcement officers may generally bargain wages, hours, and conditions of employment. Under the bill, mandatory termination of employment for a violation of a use of force policy that is discovered upon review of body camera or dashboard-mounted camera footage may not be collectively bargained.

Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report.