Arizona lawmaker Reginald Bolding Jr. wants body cameras on all police officers

By: Pete Suratos
6:01 PM, Jan 21, 2015

PHOENIX - A lot can happen in the line of duty for officers. In some cases, their encounters can turn fatal.

That's why Arizona representative Reginald Bolding Jr. is introducing two bills.

House Bill 2511 calls for all officers at the state and local level to wear body cameras. And House Bill 2512, mandates external reviews in deadly officer-involved shootings.

"Often times, it's one person's word against the others," said Bolding Jr. "What body cameras allow us to do is build that trust, accountability and transparency, providing another viewpoint, another vantage point."

The Phoenix Law Enforcement Association agrees with the idea of body cams, but says the cameras only give you a part of the story.

They oppose these bills, mainly because they lack details, specifically the costs of redacting personal information from citizens and also the privacy of the officer.

"What if they need to call their wife, or their divorce layer or what have you or whatever personal matter they may have going on. There are times when the camera should not be on," said PLEA president Joe Clure.

Clure cited a recent example of the potential costs, when he requested body camera footage for a review.

"I had requested 90 days of camera footage through public records requests and they told me it would cost $11,000 to have that redacted," said Clure.

The cost of all of this has yet to be determined, according to Bolding Jr., and he says they are currently looking at different funding options.

The bills still need to be introduced on the House floor.


Originally posted to: on Jan 21, 2015