Lawmakers on Beacon Hill could move to mandate that all law enforcement officers in Massachusetts wear body cameras.
Rep. Denise Provost's (D-Somerville) bill, filing alongside Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) would make every police officer in the state wear a body camera, and it would create a committee to write regulations and review footage.
Provost says there are best practises being developed nationwide for law enforcement agencies using body cameras.
"The bill would also create a state committee to regulate how law enforcement agencies utilize the cameras and it would have the power to review footage of incidents," Provost told the Legislature's Public Safety Committee Tuesday.
Provost said she's encouraged by a state program that provides grants to local police for buying the cameras, but there needs to be guidelines for using them and making the footage available.
"I think it's good that we are seeing more of this, but we're going to need some uniformity statewide," Provost said.
But Public Safety Chairman Harold Naughton wants more data on the effectiveness of the cameras from pilot programs like the one Boston Police ran earlier this year.
"The results were really indeterminate. And so, that's what I'd be interested in, as to the value as we go forward,"
Legislative leaders seem to be more interested in gathering more data from cities and towns that have launched body camera pilot programs before they make any statewide policy.
