Minnesota Law Enforcement Looks to Ban Release of Body Camera Footage

While body cameras are becoming more prevalent across the country, law enforcement agencies are still figuring out what to do with the footage.

In Minnesota, agencies in a total of 16 in cities are asking state officials to keep the footage private, at least temporarily, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

The move is an attempt to quash “the public’s hunger for sensationalism or gossip,” at least until a more comprehensive statewide plan on handling the data is adopted.

… “Body-worn cameras raise privacy concerns that have not to date been addressed” by the Legislature, read the petition, prepared by Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell.

The petition said the technology can sometimes record intimate moments with the public that do not advance law enforcement. “The privacy interests under these circumstances should prevail over the public’s hunger for sensationalism or gossip,” the petitioners said.

For more information about the petition in Minnesota, please visit StarTribune.com.