New Tennessee Bill Would Make It A Felony For Officers Who Disable Body Cams

Two Tennessee lawmakers want to ensure that police officers' body cameras remain turned on.

State Rep. G.A. Hardaway and Sen. Sara Kyle have introduced bills that would make it a felony for officers to intentionally turn off their body-worn cameras to obstruct justice. 

 

Body cameras are usually worn on officers' chests and record what they see as they perform their duties. They were introduced with the intention of discouraging police misconduct and to protect officers from unfounded civil complaints.

 

Five states -- California, Nevada, South Carolina, Florida and Connecticut -- have enacted laws that require some officers to use body cameras, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

 

But some officers view the cameras as unwanted scrutiny and a sign their supervisors don't trust them.

 

Under current state law in Tennessee, prosecutors can file charges against police officers who turn off their body cameras for tampering with evidence. But Hardaway believes the law is not specific enough and needs to be updated to reflect the relatively new video technology.

 

"There's nothing more objective than body cams or dash cams," Hardaway said. "When there's a police shooting or other incidents that cause harm to citizens, (the public wants) some evidence other than 'he said, she said' and that's what this law speaks to -- the new technology."

 

Hardaway added that his bill makes clear that "failure of the device to capture certain evidence due to intentional acts on behalf of police officers is unacceptable."

 

If the bill passes, violations of the law would be a Class E felony -- the least serious felonies. They are punishable by one to two years in prison.

 

You can read the full and complete story by clicking here. 

While this is nice and something that should be done in all states, the problem is the Jury. How about we do without a Jury to ensure proper justice?