NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The 2024 legislative session is well underway and state lawmakers are making decisions on a number of proposed bills.
One of the new bills includes adding more punishment for officers who do not turn on their body-worn cameras.
The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee will hear the bill on Tuesday.
HB 1522 bill has been making its rounds since last year's session. It would add a Class E felony charge for officers found guilty of not turning on a body camera. Currently they're charged with a Class C felony for the offense which means the offense carries 3-15 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
If HB 1522 were to pass it would also add a Class E felony charge on top of that which carries 1-6 years in prison and a fine around $3,000.
Under current law it's a felony to tamper with body camera evidence, whether that's altering, destroying or concealing any record with the intent to impair its availability to be evidence.
This bill would add a Class E felony for an officer that turns off, disables or fails to turn on a body camera, essentially prohibiting the ability to record evidence.
The bill comes at a time as the Metro Nashville Police Department recently announced an investment into new state-of-the-art body cameras.
They're expected to not only address battery concerns but also introduce a host of new features, including being able to upload footage directly from their cruisers which will allow officers to spend more time in the community.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
