Require police to wear body cameras and use them during interactions with suspects
A proposal in Congress would require police departments to provide officers with body cameras and require officers to activate them when using force or making arrests, as a condition of receiving federal funding.
Arguments For & Against
Pro Argument
Requiring officers to use body cameras will make the process of law enforcement more transparent and will help hold police accountable. Research shows use of body cameras has reduced both police and civilian violence by substantial amounts. Cameras provide a neutral record of events as they happened, free from the distortions that memory and adrenaline can introduce.
Con Argument
Body cameras cost a lot of money and studies show they are not very effective. They create a false impression of objectivity — juries have interpreted footage differently based on how it was used by prosecutors and defense attorneys. In some cases cameras have not captured what actually happened because footage was grainy, shaky, or showed a limited view.
Source document: PoliceReformQuaire0720.pdf
| Type | Organization | Date | Nat | Rep | Dem | Gap | Metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New PPC Survey (2026) | Program for Public Consultation | February 2026 | 90% | 90% | 90% | 0% | favor |
| Deliberative Survey | Program for Public Consultation | July 2020 | 89% | 85% | 94% | 9% | favor |
Program for Public Consultation — February 2026
Require all police departments to have body cameras, to have their officers wear them, and turn them on whenever they are responding to a police call or interacting with a suspect.
Program for Public Consultation — July 2020
Require all police departments to have body cameras, to have their law enforcement officers wear them, and turn them on whenever they are responding to a police call or interacting with a suspect. Failure to do so would result in disciplinary action.
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