Bill on use of police body cams in homes clears Pa. Senate panel

A first stamp of approval is on legislation to allow police officers in Pennsylvania to gather body camera footage inside a home, but ban it from public record requests.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously Tuesday for the bill.

The chairman, Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, says the legislation is designed to ensure officers can use body cameras to record and hopefully defuse incidents of domestic violence and protect the identities of victims or people who have protection from abuse orders.

Law enforcement groups support the provision.

Andy Hoover of the American Civil Liberties Union says some footage should be public record, such as when there’s a public interest in knowing about an officer’s conduct. But Hoover also says the faces of victims or bystanders can be obscured in the footage.