logo
Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Was California's Justice Department the first statewide agency in the US to require its officers to wear body cameras?

By Jacob Alabab-Moser
YES

In April 2015, California's then-Attorney General Kamala Harris announced plans to "institute a body camera policy for all DOJ special agent personnel conducting field operations." A 2016 statement confirmed the department was providing certain agents with body cameras. This was the first statewide body-cam initiative of its kind, applying only to agents working under the Attorney General and not to local law-enforcement or California Highway Patrol.

By May 2015, nine states (Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Carolina) had enacted laws addressing body cameras. Of these, only South Carolina mandated the use of body cameras by all state law-enforcement agencies. Body cameras are not yet required in all California law-enforcement agencies.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
FACT BRIEF BY
facebook
twitter
email
email