H.Res. 16 — Introduced in House

IV 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 16 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 3, 2017Mr. Al Green of Texas submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Supporting local law enforcement agencies in their continued work to serve our communities, and supporting their use of body worn cameras to promote transparency to protect both citizens and officers alike. Whereas the United States Department of Justice issued a report titled, “Police Officer Body-Worn Cameras”, which details a number of benefits of body-worn cameras, including— (1) increased transparency and citizen views of police legitimacy; (2) improved behavior and civility among both police officers and citizens; and (3) increased evidentiary benefits that expedite resolution of citizen complaints or lawsuits and improving evidence for arrest and prosecution; and Whereas the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Criminology conducted a 12-month study on the use of body-worn cameras used by law enforcement in the United Kingdom and estimated that the cameras led to a 50 percent reduction in use of force, and in addition, complaints against police fell approximately by 90 percent: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives— (1) recognizes all law enforcement agencies and officers for their tireless work to protect us and make our communities safer; (2) recognizes the potential for the use of body-worn cameras by on-duty law enforcement officers to improve community relations, increase transparency, and protect both citizens and police; and (3) encourages State and local law enforcement agencies to consider the use of body-worn cameras, including policies and protocols to handle privacy, storage, and other relevant concerns.