Trust Through Transparency Act of 2025

Increased Transparency and Accountability: The bill requires officers to wear body cameras during public-facing functions to promote transparency (Section 2).

Protection of Evidence for Specific Incidents: Video footage will be kept longer than six months if it captures use of force, arrests for crimes, or instances where a subject has filed a complaint (Section 2, paragraph (i)(2)).

Extended Retention for Individuals Involved: People can request that footage be kept for at least three years if they are the subject of the video, such as a member of the public, a parent or legal guardian of a minor, or a deceased subject's next of kin (Section 2, paragraph (i)(3)).

Officer Protections: Immigration officers can request extended retention of footage if they believe it has evidentiary or exculpatory value (Section 2, paragraph (i)(3)(A)).

Oversight through Expert Advice: The Secretary of Homeland Security must establish an independent advisory panel featuring experts in civil rights, privacy, technology, and law enforcement oversight (Section 3(d)).

Public Awareness of Compliance: An annual report detailing the number of enforcement functions, instances of noncompliance, and disciplinary actions must be made available to the public (Section 3(b) and (c)).

Loss of Footage: Video footage is subject to permanent deletion after six months unless specific criteria for extended retention are met (Section 2, paragraph (i)(2)).

Limited Privacy for Undercover Operations: The definition of a body-worn camera specifically excludes devices worn during undercover assignments (Section 2, paragraph (i)(4)(B)).

Information Redaction: The Inspector General may redact information from the annual public report to protect sensitive operations, investigations, or privacy (Section 3(c)).