Bill Would Create Funds for Statewide Body Cameras on Officers Who Frequently Stop Vehicles

This seems to be the way things are headed. For better or for worse, rampant technological innovations are catalyzing police officers and law enforcement investigations. Now, a bill proposal that all police agencies in Texas to equip their officers with body-mounted cameras. I wrote last year about the Fort Worth Police Dept launching one of the most ambitious camera programs in the country. Fort Worth has spent millions of dollars in the program, although the program is still in the early stages. Now that the legislative session has started in Austin, Rep. Eric Johnson wants body cameras to be the new norm statewide. Initial estimates of the program predict that costs would be in the $50 million territory.

Police Body Cameras Have Wide Support from Different Groups

For most police departments, the cameras are new. However, as I’ve written about before, even though body cameras don’t yet enjoy widespread use, they do enjoy support from divergent groups with often polarizing interests. On a national level, both law enforcement agencies and civil rights groups have both endorsed body-mounted cameras for officers during civilian encounters. The reason for this is obvious: transparency and accountability. For prosecutors, it can be a headache to deal with cries of police misconduct when the only evidence is only firsthand eyewitness. For civil rights groups like the ACLU, body cameras are seen as a manner to keep police from abusing their power and protecting the civil and constitutional rights of Americans. For defense attorneys, footage from body cameras can make it easier to assess the strengths and the weaknesses of a case. This is especially true of DWI arrests. In DWI investigations—where the defendant’s behavior is crucial evidence—body-mounted cameras can allow for a much more detailed view of the arrestee’s face and mannerisms.

Have you been arrested for a crime? Call my office: 817-689-7002. Come into the office for a free and confidential case evaluation. Our office is downtown: 108 Main Street, Fort Worth, TX,76102