Introduced to establish standards for the use of body cameras by law enforcement, House Bill (HB) 93: Law Enforcement Officer Body Cameras unanimously passed the Florida Senate on March 7 and, as of press time, is now awaiting action by Gov. Rick Scott.
Authored by Reps. Shevrin Jones (D-West Park) and Alan Williams (D-Tallahassee), the bill requires law enforcement agencies that use body cameras to create policies and procedures that outline proper use, maintenance and storage of the cameras.
It would also require a periodic review of the agency’s body-camera practices, making sure they align with department policies and procedures.
“Too often, body cameras are touted as the solution to police brutality,” said Khyra Keeley, a 19-year-old UF political science sophomore. “They aren’t the end-all-be-all solution, but this bill is definitely the first step in the right direction.”
HB 93 does not, however, require agencies to use body cameras.
Officer Ben Tobias, the spokesman for the Gainesville Police Department, said his agency does not use body cameras and would not currently be affected by the bill’s requirements, which he said could cost agencies like GPD at least half a million dollars from the start.
He said the expenses would result from the creation of new positions dedicated to overseeing recorded data and the need for new servers.
“If we were asked if we want to use body cameras in the future, that would be a resounding yes — we want to,” Tobias said, “and if you were to poll our officers, they would actually want body cameras. It adds a layer of transparency to what we do.”
After passing through both chambers of the legislature with no objections, HB 93 is now awaiting Gov. Scott’s signature.
Fahad Khan, a 20-year-old UF political science and history senior, said the bill is incredibly important, especially in the midst of policing issues.
“People will benefit by knowing there are established procedures,” Khan said. “They won’t be just ad hoc.”
