Missouri lawmakers weigh public's right to police footage

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers debated Monday on how to balance the public's right to access police body camera footage with individuals' right to privacy.

Rep. Kenneth Wilson told a House panel while he wants to ensure body cameras don't interfere with investigations or infringe on people's rights, he wants to keep some avenues open for public access.

Critics of the bill said it was an improvement over last year's proposals, such as legislation the House passed that would have allowed police to classify any recordings as closed records.

"A lot of changes have been made to this," Wilson said. "I believe with what we went through last year and a lot of debates, I think we have solved a lot of our problems."

His bill would keep body camera and dashboard camera footage closed to the public if it shows a place where people expect privacy, such as a home.

It also would restrict public access to the footage for the duration of an investigation; people who appear in the video could see it sooner, but they would be prohibited from describing the video or sharing its footage without first getting permission from everyone who appears in it.

Doug Crews, executive director of the Missouri Press Association, said that provision amounts to an unconstitutional prior restraint on the media.

Crews also raised concerns about the restrictions to dashcam footage, which he said usually depicts incidents in public places.

Rep. Galen Higdon said in rural areas, law enforcement might have to drive several feet onto a person's property before reaching the scene of an incident, and in those circumstances, dashcams can be as invasive as body cameras.

Sheldon Lineback, executive director of the Missouri Police Chiefs Association, said a person's safety sometimes can depend on keeping information, such as a home floor plan, private.

The House committee took no action on the bill.