Watch: SC Agencies Could Miss Body Cam Policy Deadline

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO) —Providing an objective view point of every encounter is one of the biggest benefits of body cameras for law enforcement.

Major Florence McCants with the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy says, “They’re able to put a jury or a judge back on that incident location and let them see what they saw.”

Legislation passed in 2015 requires all state and local law enforcement agencies to implement the use of body cameras and submit operating policies to the Law Enforcement Training Council.

“Who is allowed to wear them who is supposed to wear them when do you turn them on when do you turn them off,” says McCants.

With the midnight deadline quickly approaching there’s still between 50 and 60 of the state’s nearly 300 agencies who have yet to comply.

While there’s no repercussions for missing the deadline it will delay funding.

Mjr. McCants tells ABC Columbia, “Some agencies have already purchased their cameras and now they’re looking towards reimbursement or some agencies, budget is an issue so they can’t move forward in purchasing anything until the receive those funds.”

Many agencies are finding that the cost of the camera itself is minimal compared to the expense of storing the video it provides.

She explains, “The storage, that’s going to come at an astronomical cost.”

According to McCants there are some agencies won’t meet the deadline

“Some of them are a lot smaller 2,3, 4 man departments so they very well might have some issues with just getting the policies written and things of that nature.

She assures that the council is in constant contact with these agencies helping resolve these problems and get policies in place.