Minnesota’s first set of guidelines for the police use of body cameras is moving ahead at the Legislature after weeks of a stalemate, leading to outcry from open government advocates that the bill would keep too much footage under wraps.
A Minnesota House committee passed a bill Tuesday that would make most footage from the portable recording devices private. The legislation has been in the works for two years, but has gotten held up as lawmakers have struggled to address concerns about officers entering homes with the recording devices and a push from transparency advocates to grant broader public access.
Dozens of Minnesota departments are already using body cameras, and law enforcement representatives have argued that others would start using them once the state establishes clear guidelines. Continue…
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