Police CAMERA Act
Latest action (26 Mar 2015): Introduced
What this bill does
H.R. 1680, the Police CAMERA Act, would establish a two-year pilot matching grant program administered by the Office of Justice Programs to help state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies purchase or lease body-worn cameras. Grantees would generally cover 25 percent of program costs, though the federal share could be higher for tribal governments or waived in cases of fiscal hardship. The bill sets aside $10,000,000 for fiscal years 2015 and 2016 to fund the program.
To receive funds, agencies would have to adopt public policies on camera use, data storage, and privacy protections before deployment, including rules on officer consent from victims/witnesses, limits on unauthorized access to footage, complaint procedures, and restrictions on transferring recorded data to other agencies except for criminal investigations or civil rights cases. Agencies would also need to track and report data such as use-of-force incidents and complaint outcomes. The Justice Department would later study the program's effects on police accountability, safety, and privacy, and report findings to Congress.
The bill affects police departments, tribal law enforcement, and communities where body cameras are deployed, aiming to improve transparency and evidence collection while addressing privacy concerns. It was introduced by Rep. Corrine Brown on March 26, 2015, and referred to the House Judiciary Committee. As of the latest available information, it has not received a vote and its status remains "introduced," meaning it did not advance further in the 114th Congress.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
Police Creating Accountability by Making Effective Recording Available Act of 2015 or the Police CAMERA Act
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs to make grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes to purchase or lease body-worn cameras for use by law enforcement officers, and for expenses related to the implementation of a body-worn camera program, in order to deter excessive force, improve accountability and transparency of use of force by law enforcement officers, assist in responding to complaints against officers, and improve evidence collection.
Requires a grantee to: (1) develop, with community input, policies for the safe and effective use of body-worn cameras, for the secure storage, handling, and destruction of data collected, for protecting the privacy rights of any individual who may be recorded, and for the release of any data collected in accordance with the open records laws of the state; and (2) conduct periodic evaluations of the security of the storage and handling of the body-worn camera data.
Requires a grantee to adopt data collection and retention protocols that:
• require an officer wearing a camera to provide an explanation if an activity that is required to be recorded is not recorded and to obtain a crime victim's or witness's consent to be recorded before interviewing him or her;
• minimize the collection of data unrelated to a legitimate law enforcement purpose;
• require the system used to store collected data to log all viewing, modification, or deletion of such data and to prevent its unauthorized access or disclosure;
• prohibit any law enforcement officer from accessing the stored data without an authorized purpose;
Common questions
- What does H.R. 1680 do?
- H.R. 1680, the Police CAMERA Act, would establish a two-year pilot matching grant program administered by the Office of Justice Programs to help state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies purchase or lease body-worn cameras. Grantees would generally cover 25 percent of program costs, though the federal share could be higher for tribal governments or waived in cases of fiscal hardship. The bill sets aside $10,000,000 for fiscal years 2015 and 2016 to fund the program. To receive funds, agencies would have to adopt public policies on camera use, data storage, and privacy protections before deployment, including rules on officer consent from victims/witnesses, limits on unauthorized access to footage, complaint procedures, and restrictions on transferring recorded data to other agencies except for criminal investigations or civil rights cases. Agencies would also need to track and report data such as use-of-force incidents and complaint outcomes. The Justice Department would later study the program's effects on police accountability, safety, and privacy, and report findings to Congress. The bill affects police departments, tribal law enforcement, and communities where body cameras are deployed, aiming to improve transparency and evidence collection while addressing privacy concerns. It was introduced by Rep. Corrine Brown on March 26, 2015, and referred to the House Judiciary Committee. As of the latest available information, it has not received a vote and its status remains "introduced," meaning it did not advance further in the 114th Congress.
- Has H.R. 1680 become law?
- Not yet. As of 26 Mar 2015, H.R. 1680 is introduced.
- Who sponsored H.R. 1680?
- H.R. 1680 was sponsored by Rep. Corrine Brown [D-FL5, 2013-2016] (Democrat-FL), with 35 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on H.R. 1680?
- Introduced (26 Mar 2015).
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