A Minnesota State Senator has introduced legislation that would place a one-year moratorium on law enforcement agencies' use of body cameras.
The bill, authored by Sen. Branden Petersen, R-Andover, would ban police use of the devices while officers are performing their official duties through May 31, 2016.
Petersen said Wednesday that the bill is in response to the technology outpacing lawmakers' ability to regulate how it is used, and who can access the footage. The bill comes two weeks after a bipartisan House measure by three former law enforcement officers to classify the footage from the devices as private, and only accessible by the subjects of the data. Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Vernon Center, Rep. Dan Schoen, DFL-St. Paul Park, and Rep. Scott Newman, R-Cambridge, say their bill balances privacy and public safety.
Petersen, a member of the Legislative Commission on Data Practices, said the task force has not yet enough time to look into body cameras.
"The Legislature has not had the time to come up with a policy that balances privacy, the public right to public information, and concerns about the length and amount of data retention," he said. "Keep in mind, this is one of the largest increases in mass state surveillance that we've seen."
Andy Skoogman, executive director of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, said that although the organization backs regulation, an outright ban isn't reasonable.
"Although we believe it's imperative that we work closely with state lawmakers to resolve the privacy issues raised by body-worn cameras, we don't think this bill takes us in the right direction," Skoogman said. "Several Minnesota law enforcement agencies, with the backing of their city leaders, are already successfully using body worn cameras to enhance evidence collection and increase police accountability, and their communities are embracing the technology."
Petersen, a privacy advocate who has long been outspoken about law enforcement's power to collect information on law-abiding individuals, has also pushed for a constitutional amendment protecting data privacy and authored a bill that would not allow law enforcement agencies to retain data from automatic license plate readers.
