Police body camera bill an exercise in democracy

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That is what happened in Madison as state lawmakers approved a new bill dealing with police body cameras. Both the Senate and Assembly passed bills that don’t require Wisconsin police departments to use body cameras, but do provide consistent standards for what to do with the video that is captured. Currently, use of police body cameras is unregulated, as is the footage they record. Under this bill, police departments which wear body cams would be required to have a written policy for their use, and officers would have to be trained on that policy. The bill requires all body camera data to be stored for at least 120 days. If it involves a case that is still making its way through the courts, the video must be stored at least until the legal proceedings have ended. Body camera footage would be a matter of public record, meaning anyone could request the footage. Exceptions were made for footage involving minors, or footage that showed someone in a particularly violent or compromised position, like being in a state of undress. This is much better than a previous bill which would have made most body camera footage confidential, unavailable to the public. This better bill came about with input from police agencies and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association. They listened to one another, and considered the other’s position. In the end, they wrote a bill all could agree on, and passed with unanimous support. That is how our democracy is supposed to work.