Police body camera legislation scaled back in state legislature

Legislation introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives to mandate usage of police body cameras was scaled back following concerns that costs and implementation would be too ambitious to accomplish.

Now the bill would only require that a law-enforcement agency enact a written policy to determine how body cameras should be used, if the agency chooses to use body cameras.

The bill does not mandate the usage of body cameras or say what the written policy should look like.

Rep. Kevin Boyce (D-Columbus) rewrote the bill he was set to introduce after meeting with groups such as police organizations and prosecutors.

Though there have been public cries for police body cameras following years of high-profile police shootings, some say that the cost is prohibitive and the regulations regarding access to body camera footage is a complex issue that still has to be hashed out.

Implementing the cameras in Ohio is projected to cost upwards of $50 million in Ohio, much of which would be spent on data storage.

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