Bill · H.R. 1188· House(119-HR-1188)
Police CAMERA Act of 2025
- Introduced
- 2/11/2025
- Last activity
- 2/11/2025 — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Sponsored by
- Steve Cohen
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Police CAMERA Act of 2025 aims to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. It authorizes a grant program to help State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies purchase or lease body-worn cameras. The bill also covers expenses for implementing these programs, such as training and data storage. To receive funds, agencies must establish specific policies regarding data handling, privacy, and facial recognition technology. The program includes a matching funds requirement where the federal government covers up to 75 percent of the cost. Finally, the Act mandates a study to evaluate the overall effectiveness and impact of these body-worn camera programs.
Yes· 3 of 11
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+7
The bill promotes transparency through public access to policies and the collection of use-of-force statistics.
Does this change how police departments operate?+7
The act provides funding for body-worn cameras specifically to deter excessive force and increase officer accountability.
Does this give people more control over their personal data?+6
The bill mandates strict data handling, storage, and privacy policies for law enforcement recordings.
The opposite
Does this give the government more power to monitor people inside the country?-2
While intended for accountability, the expansion of recording technology increases the scale of domestic surveillance capabilities.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Accountability and Transparency: The grant program is intended to help deter excessive force and improve the transparency of how law enforcement officers use force (Section 2, Subsection (a)).
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Improved Evidence Collection: The program aims to assist in the collection of evidence for investigations (Section 2, Subsection (a)).
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Enhanced Privacy Protections: Agencies receiving grants must develop policies to protect the privacy rights of any individual who may be recorded by a body-worn camera (Section 2, Subsection (d)(2)(A)(iii)).
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Constitutional Safeguards for Technology Use: The bill requires policies to protect the constitutional rights of individuals when facial recognition technology is used, including limitations that require judicial authorization for certain uses (Section 2, Subsection (d)(2)(A)(iv-v)).
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Standardized Data Security: The bill mandates protocols to ensure the secure storage, handling, and destruction of recorded data, while requiring systems that log all viewing or modification of that data to prevent unauthorized access (Section 2, Subsection (d)(2)(A)(ii) and (d)(2)(A)(3)(A)(iv)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Privacy Limitations for Crime Victims/Witnesses: The required protocols require law enforcement officers to obtain consent from a crime victim or witness before interviewing them while wearing a body-mounted camera (Section 2, Subsection (d)(3)(A)(ii)).
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Restrictions on Data Sharing: There is a general prohibition on transferring recorded data to other law enforcement or intelligence agencies unless specific exceptions regarding criminal investigations or civil rights claims are met (Section 2, Subsection (d)(5)(A-B)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+7Improves Privacy Rights+5Improves Due Process+4Increases Federal Power+3
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Native Americans+5Good For African Americans+4Good For Asian Americans+4Good For Hispanic Americans+4
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Policing Reform+7Improves Racial Equity+5
- Education And Technology
- Improves Data Privacy+6
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Increases Domestic Surveillance-2
- 2/11/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Introduced in House