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SALT LAKE CITY — Some police officers serving search warrants might have to wear body cameras under a revised bill that changes the rules for forcibly entering a house or building.
Sen. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, made several changes to the original version of SB82 after meeting with law enforcement, the American Civil Liberties Union and others.
"I think we're there, or we're very close to there," Urquhart told the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee on Tuesday.
The committee unanimously endorsed the measure. It now goes to the Senate floor.
The bill would raise the standard of evidence needed for a forcible entry to "reasonable suspicion" and require police to wear a badge, label or clothing that clearly identifies them as law enforcement officers when executing a search warrant.
Also, officers could not use a no-knock warrant in cases where drug possession or use is suspected. Police would have to suspect that drugs are being sold.
Instead of requiring officers to use body cameras, Urquhart said, the bill now provides for police officers to wear body-cams if their department owns the equipment. The bill allows police agencies to set their own policies for body cameras.
Park City Police Chief Wade Carpenter, president of the Utah Chiefs of Police Association, said he still has concerns about the body camera provisions, especially in situations where officers from different agencies are assigned to a task force.
"We feel this might become a stumbling block legally," he told the committee.
Urquhart said it sounds like he still has a little more work to do on the bill, "at least some wordsmithing."
Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy, president of the Utah Sheriffs Association, supports the bill, saying it provides transparency for the public and allows police to do their jobs. Email: romboy@deseretnews.com Twitter: dennisromboy
