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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah police agencies don't oppose statewide policies on the use of body-worn cameras as long as they balance the interests of their officers and the public.
State lawmakers are considering several proposals governing when, where and how police use the technology, along with guidelines for retention and releasing the video footage.
But numerous questions about privacy rights, when officers turn the cameras on and off, and the public's access to the video makes drafting legislation complicated.
"The idea that the law enforcement community does not want these body cameras is ludicrous," Utah Highway Patrol Col. Danny Fuhr told the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee on Wednesday.
Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, wants the Legislature to set a uniform policy for storing and releasing the data, but allow police departments that choose to use body cams to make their own guidelines.
Thatcher said he doesn't want to dictate how every police officer should behave regardless of where they work.
The Utah Chiefs of Police Association wants to get body-cams into law enforcement, said Bountiful Police Chief Tom Ross, who serves as the group's president. But if the rules are too onerous, he said, some agencies would opt not to use them.
Both Ross and Thatcher say police and lawmakers are much closer than they are apart on the issue.
Rep. Daniel McCay, R-Riverton, said it comes down deciding the appropriate minimum standards for police agencies to follow. Lawmakers shelved his bill earlier this year mandating how and when police use the cameras.
To date, 19 states have passed laws or adopted resolutions concerning body cameras for police.
Lawmakers need to be careful the guidelines don't become "excessively rigid," said Rep. Kay McIff, R-Richfield. He said he doesn't want to go down a path where if a crime wasn't captured on video, it didn't happen.
More departments in Utah don't use body-cams than those that use them. Some are waiting to see what lawmakers do before deciding whether to buy the equipment, said Salt Lake County Undersheriff Scott Carver.
Fuhr told the committee it would cost UHP $3 million to outfit its 450 troopers with body-cams. And with 9,000 police officers statewide, it would cost a "whole lot of money," he said.
Lawmakers also are wrestling with how the state's open records law applies to body-cam video, and when and if the footage should be made public.
Should a curious neighbor be able to obtain police video to see what happened at a neighbor's house? Should the media have access potentially embarrassing incidents for police officers or those captured by the camera?
Ross said police want to be transparent, but people "do not want the worst times of their lives played out on the 6 o'clock news."
"That is a huge concern," he said.
Josh Daniels, policy analyst for the Libertas Institute, urged lawmakers to adopt consistent policies on privacy rights, transparency and evidence collecting. Email: romboy@deseretnews.com Twitter: dennisromboy
