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Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday signed two bills requiring all New Jersey cops to wear body cameras and regulating when they should be turned on.
Both proposals will go into effect in seven months, although they are partially dependent on funding.
“It’s a big step in the right direction,” Murphy said during a virtual bill signing ceremony.
The governor also issued Executive Order 201, which creates a 14-person committee to advise officials on the best body camera technology.
The value of body cameras is an area of agreement between law enforcement officials and reformers, as video can both clarify officers and prove fault. However, most police departments in the state still do not have one.
The laws will go “a long way” in “bridging the trust gap that exists in our black and brown communities,” said Senator Shirley Turner, D-Mercer, who first introduced the proposal in 2014 after Michael Brown was killed by an officer in Ferguson, Missouri.
Body cameras could save taxpayers money in the long run, she said, by reducing the number of excessive force lawsuits.
Murphy initially vetoed both bills, saying lawmakers needed to budget more money and create more privacy protections for those filmed. A bill providing at least $ 58 million to cover equipment and storage costs has been passed by two committees after receiving support from legislative leaders, but has yet to pass the full Legislature .
The first bill Murphy’s signed on Tuesday (S1163) typically requires all cops to wear body cameras, although officers working undercover, meeting confidential informants or in the office are exempt.
The second bill, (A4312), which focuses on specific rules for the use of body cameras, was amended after Murphy’s veto.
Residents should generally be warned when being filmed, according to the law. They can ask an officer to turn off a camera in certain circumstances, such as in a medical emergency. Cops can also turn off cameras in schools, hospitals and places of worship.
All footage should be kept for at least 180 days, but videos of police forces and arrests should be kept for at least three years. Outside companies that store the images will not be able to view them.
Murphy has been joined online by lawmakers, officials and state union leaders, several of whom have referred to the “national calculation” that has been going on since George Floyd’s death on what police look like.
“Body-worn cameras can increase the professionalism of soldiers, help reduce citizen complaints and use-of-force issues, and (are) extremely helpful for soldiers to write more accurate reports,” Wayne said. Blanchard, leader of the New Jersey State Troopers Fraternal. Organization.
The virtual format has created new twists on the tradition. The panelists clapped as Murphy signed each bill, but since almost everyone was silent, they formed a silent montage of hand clapping. Murphy also announced who would eventually receive the pens used to sign the invoices, but said each must be disinfected first.
Until recently, the body camera debate in New Jersey had avoided prisons. While two state prisons are in the process of equipping officers with cameras, a lawmaker introduced a bill last week that would require them on all states.
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Blake Nelson can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @BCunninghamN.
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