Photo: PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP / Getty Images
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) plans to equip all of its 7,600 officers with body cameras by next year, marking a significant shift in policy for one of the state's largest police forces. This decision comes three years after a CalMatters report revealed that only 3% of CHP officers were equipped with body cameras.
In 2015, former Assemblymember Reginald Jones-Sawyer proposed a $10 million plan to provide body cameras to all CHP officers. However, lawmakers initially opted for a one-year, $1 million pilot program. During that year, officers recorded nearly 93,000 videos, but the program was not expanded.
The push for body cameras has gained momentum as body-worn cameras have become standard in many police departments across the United States. These cameras are seen as tools for transparency and safety for both officers and the public. Despite this, the CHP, with its $2.8 billion budget, has been slow to adopt the technology. As of now, only 237 body cameras are in use, primarily in the Oakland and Stockton areas.
The decision to expand the use of body cameras comes amid growing calls for police accountability and transparency. Nicholas Camp, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan, noted that body cameras are one of the few reforms supported by both the American Civil Liberties Union and police agencies.
As the CHP prepares to implement this change, it will join other agencies in using body cameras as a standard part of their officers' uniforms, enhancing the transparency and accountability of their operations.