Senator Scott Introduces Body Camera Legislation to Help Keep Officers and Citizens Safer

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) introduced the Safer Officers and Safer Citizens Act to help provide state, local and tribal police departments with resources to outfit officers with body-worn cameras. Senator Scott has worked with more than a dozen groups, including law enforcement associations, civil rights organizations and privacy advocates, over the past three months to develop the legislation.

Studies have shown that body-worn cameras can play an important role in keeping both law enforcement officers and the communities they serve safer. One study of the body camera program in Rialto, California showed public complaints against officers wearing body-worn cameras fell by almost 90% and that officers' use of force decreased by 60%.

"Across our nation, too often we are seeing a lack of trust between communities and law enforcement lead to tragedy," Senator Scott said. "While rebuilding that sense of trust will take time, I believe that providing law enforcement agencies with the resources they need to equip officers with body-worn cameras is an important step. We have seen that body-worn cameras can keep both officers and citizens safer, and that video can help provide clarity following an altercation. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a thousand pictures."

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