Proposal would put body cameras on Game Commission officers
Close-up of police body camera. (Getty Images)
A bill to authorize body cameras for law enforcement officers of across state agencies has advanced in the state Senate.
Senate Bill 520, sponsored by state Sen. Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne), would authorize deputy law enforcement officers with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Fish & Boat Commission, and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Rangers and State Park Officers to wear body cameras. The measure was approved by a 13-1 vote in the chamber’s Judiciary Committee.
Baker described body worn cameras as an “invaluable tool for modern law enforcement” in the co-sponsorship memo of the legislation, adding “they provide an accurate and unbiased account of officer engagement, protecting the integrity of citizens and officers alike.”
“In this case, the importance is amplified as law enforcement from these agencies work independently and in remote areas, oftentimes in locations that have poor radio and cellphone coverage, and frequently encounter individuals who are themselves armed,” Baker wrote. “Additionally, the nature of law enforcement within these agencies is evolving as officers are increasingly confronting serious drug activity and other criminal cases outside of the scope of sporting safety, wildlife protection, and outdoor recreation.”
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Baker notes if passed, the bill would not impose a mandate, but instead allow each agency to decide on a “timeline of its choosing.”
Act 202, passed over a decade ago, granted authority for trained officers of PFBC and PGC to wear body cameras. It resulted in Waterways Conservative Officers of the Fish & Boat Commission and certain Officers and State Game Wardens to receive training and wear these devices, according to the co-sponsorship memo. But, deputies of the agencies were purposefully excluded under Act 202 and the prohibition remains in statute.
During the previous session, the Senate Game & Fisheries Committee unanimously approved the proposal in October, but it did not pass the full chamber.
