Legislative Black Caucus Calls For Body Camera Legislation

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Columbia , S.C. (WOLO) — On Tuesday, the legislative Black Caucus called on their colleagues to pass a bill this session on body cameras. The topic of body cameras is taking center stage in South Carolina. “If we’re gonna end up doing better in this state we have to make certain that we can record the confrontations between our officers and our citizens,” said Senator Gerald Malloy. The South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus is calling on lawmakers to pass a bill they say will require law enforcement officials to use body cameras. “Passing a bill of this magnitude would increase transparency for law enforcement that could improve the relationship between the police and the people they serve,” said Representative Carl Anderson. Lawmakers said there are currently two body camera bills being discussed in House and Senate committees, but the recent shooting incident involving a North Charleston police officer brings greater awareness of the need to move legislation forward this session. “It is not beyond the scope of possibility to make this happen, we consider this to be a priority,” said Rep. Anderson. Although a top priority, what about factors such as cost and privacy concerns? Senator Malloy said those are all issues that will be addressed over time. “The cost is not near as much as what they’re saying,” said Senator Malloy. “I think the storage issues are not near as difficult as folks have been saying and when we start putting all these hiccups and bucks in it, let’s look at what happens to lives of people in South Carolina, what this is about is improving lives.” Moving forward, members of the Black Caucus say they hope the House and Senate will come together to create a permanent bill.