Pennsylvania State Police will begin using body cameras later this year under voluntary guidelines.
The body cameras will be deployed through a pilot program, paid for by a federal grant. The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association has released a list of best practice guidelines, which include that officers keep the cameras rolling throughout an incident and that the footage be properly logged as evidence and stored.
While the rules are nonbinding, a representative for the State Police says they reflect the agency’s policies.
Last year, lawmakers passed a law that allowed police to circumvent Wiretap Act regulations that banned them from recording audio inside homes and required they announce when cameras were rolling.
Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan helped write the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association guidelines for the use of body cameras.
He says police should never turn the cameras off during an incident, unless there is a well-documented reason.
“That protects the integrity of the recording and there are never any questions about why somebody turned it off,” Hogan said.
Hogan also recommends that the footage be treated as evidence and properly stored- just as a gun or other evidence would.