As first responders to crime, law enforcement officers encounter many dangerous situations. The Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program Reauthorization Act goes a long way in helping communities protect the lives of their officers. I helped shepherd this legislation through the Senate Judiciary Committee which I chair, and it recently passed the full Senate.
The bill includes measures to increase program accountability and efficient use of resources to maximize the impact for law enforcement officers. I asked for these provisions to be included after a 2012 Government Accountability Office investigation reported that the program was administered in a way that did not foster accountability, allowed skirting of program requirements, and reduced effectiveness. The Government Accountability Office recommended that $27 million of undisbursed funds be deobligated, and outlined several suggestions for the Justice Department that would help ensure greater accountability in the program.
In addition to bulletproof vests for law enforcement, this week the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism is holding a hearing on law enforcement’s use of body cameras. The hearing is an opportunity to dig deeper into the growing public dialogue about recent law enforcement actions and the questions of use-of-force. Committee members will explore how best these tools can be used to support police forces and ensure integrity and fairness.
There’s little question that video of police activity has played a role in better understanding some of the tragic events that have taken place in communities across the country. But, there are also a number of questions surrounding the use of body cameras that need to be explored such as personal privacy when police are in private homes or interacting with some crime victims, such as victims of domestic assault or rape. The footage is expensive to store, and it can be highly sensitive.
It’s important that in this debate we look at policies governing storage and access that protect civil liberties and don’t create new strains on police departments or mandates from the federal government.