Decision making is set for Tuesday in Rep. Karl Rhoads House Judiciary Committee on legislation requiring body-worn cameras and vehicle cameras for county police departments and some money to help them pay for it. 

Senate Bill 2411 received similar testimony as to what was heard when the measure moved its way through the Senate:

• it’s opposed by several county police departments because they are moving on their own programs to implement body-cams;
• the Office of Information Practices worries it will be swamped with requests to view videos and so it seeks more financial support;
• the Civil Beat Law Center, which opposes the breadth of the confidential provision that could limit availability of the videos and thus restrict the public’s right to know; and
• the ACLU of Hawaii’s position that body-cams reduce use of police force and complaints against officers.

It does seem, however, there is general consensus building that body cameras for cops are here to stay, that advanced technology can help address storage issues and redaction challenges; a camera-use policy drawn up by the Kauai Police Department with the input of SHOPO, the police union, that could be a template for the other county police departments; and that the cameras will help the public and press as much as it will help the police.

Meanwhile, another measure, Senate Bill 2439, seeks to clarify under what circumstances a member of the public can use a camera to film a police officer in a public place.

As a Senate committee report explained, the widespread use of smartphones has led to evidence being used in police conduct matters. But when does that use obstruct the police, when does it violate privacy and when is it of public (and media) interest?

Law enforcement expressed reservations as the bill moved through the Senate, and the legislation was amended. The ACLU, meantime, says the matter is a 1st Amendment rights issue.

But Aaron Hunger, a former cop and now doctoral student, said he could also see concerns about people with cameras getting in an officer’s face and preventing him or her from doing their job. It’s a matter of striking a balance.

Decision making on SB 2411 is also set for Tuesday in House Judiciary.