Arizonans support the decision to document evidence after passing a bill that equips Arizona state troopers to wear body camera in hopes that the number of people dying at the hands of law enforcement decreases.
House Bill 2461 was passed nearly unanimously on Feb. 23, 2021, to fund Arizona state troopers wearing body cameras. The state general funding for the cameras totals $7.5 million from 2021 through 2026. This would then appropriate $1.5 million each fiscal year.
“The good thing is that the state is willing to fund the fact that officers need proof for what happens during an arrest or any interaction with citizens, as do citizens need proof for what’s happening as well,” Chandler Gilbert Community College undergraduate student Jalynn Lisboa said.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Kevin Payne, after House representatives expressed that wearing body cameras was a major public concern since the deaths of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Dion Johnson in Phoenix.
“In light of the recent shootings, some type of oversight is imperative. There are already phone cameras in everyone’s hands. The overseers need multiple sources in order to get the full picture of these incidents,” Downtown Phoenix ASU Council of Religious Advisors Jim Helman said.
Johnson was shot and killed the same day as Floyd by an officer who did not have a body camera. Trooper George Cervantes did not face criminal charges for Johnson’s killing, but the nation’s public outcry led protests for change.
“If body cameras were implemented at the time, then I believe we would know what really happened between those two. If the trooper knew things were being recorded, Johnson may not have been shot,” Lisboa said.
Gov. Doug Ducey called for funding of body cameras in his State of the State address in January 2020, but COVID-19 caused a delay.
“The pandemic upended the session, and a very narrow budget was passed to prepare for economic uncertainty,” Ducey said in a statement to 12 News.
Arizona Department of Public Safety, one of the largest enforcement agencies in the state, doesn’t employ body cameras because of low funding.
“Money is always hard to come by. The fact that department of public safety hasn’t had body cameras isn’t a surprise. But, again, the recent incidents have pushed the need for this body cam technology to the forefront,” Helman said.
While some residents feel that the timing of the bill being passed correlated with the killings of lives from officers who weren’t charged, others feel this was long overdue.
“Arizona didn’t prioritize encounters between officers and citizens and now they have found a way to make it fair for both parties. I believe body cameras should be funded for every law enforcement member because there are many instances where it’s hearsay and no one is held accountable,” Lisboa said.
Residents are hopeful that the bill will provide safety for law enforcement officers and citizens.
“The budget of money for body cameras will ensure that everyone is doing their job as they are supposed to. This ultimately protects all of us,” Helman said.
Contact the reporter at dnet1@asu.edu.
