Public Access: Body & Dashboard Camera Recordings
Origin: North Carolina State Legislature
Bill Name/Number: H 395
Link: Click here
YEO Sponsors: Representatives Nathan Baskerville and Susi Hamilton
Summary: Introduced in March 2015, this bill would require most law enforcement officers to wear and activate
body-worn cameras during certain interactions. This bill would also establish use and public access policies for
body-worn cameras and dashboard cameras.
Talking Points & Important Information:
• While not a panacea for community-police relations and concerns of police brutality, body and dashboard
cameras provide an additional layer of transparent accountability. Body-mounted police cameras help protect
the public against police misconduct while at the same time help protect police against false accusations of
abuse. In 2013, a researcher who undertook the first experimental evaluation of body-mounted cameras in
Rialto, California, found a 50 percent reduction in the use of force incidents with police and an 88 percent drop in
the number of civilian complaints against police officers.
• According to the Police Foundation, a voluminous body of research across various disciplines has shown that
when humans become self-conscious about being watched, they often alter their conduct. Evidence further
suggests that individuals who