DOJ requiring federal agents to wear body cameras

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is changing a long-standing rule about body cameras for federal agents and will now be requiring them to be used for certain operations. 

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a memo on Monday that federal law enforcement agencies must come up with a plan to implement the use of body cameras within the next 30 days, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The plans must reportedly address where the footage will be stored, when the public can see the footage and when federal agents will be required to turn on the cameras. The agencies must also plan training for their agents to use the cameras.

“I am proud of the job performed by the Department’s law-enforcement agents, and I am confident that these policies will continue to engender the trust and confidence of the American people in the work of the Department of Justice,” Monaco said in the memo.

Federal agents had not been required to wear body cameras, with some arguing federal investigations were too sensitive to have footage recorded, the Journal noted.

The new policy will most likely only apply to the execution of arrest and search warrants, the newspaper added.

Body cameras for police have become increasingly popular as calls for police reform have rung across the country since the death of George Floyd on Minneapolis.

Millions of dollars went toward upgrading body cameras for U.S. Capitol Police officers in the latest security bill.