Alabama Police Body Camera Laws (2026): Access & Rules
Alabama has no bodycam mandate and footage isn't a public record. See who can view footage under the 2023 disclosure law and what it does not cover.
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Police Bodycam Laws
51 articles
Alaska Police Body Camera Laws (2026): Access & Retention
Alaska has no bodycam statute; deployment and footage access run agency by agency under the general Alaska Public Records Act. See how requests work.
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Arizona Police Body Camera Laws (2026): Mandate & Access
Arizona now requires bodycams statewide by July 1, 2026 under A.R.S. 38-1172. See activation rules, release deadlines, fees, and tampering penalties.
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Arkansas Police Body Camera Laws: Public Records Access
Arkansas has no statewide police body camera law. See how the Arkansas FOIA governs bodycam footage requests, the officer-death exemption, and retention rules.
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California Police Body Camera Laws: Footage & Access
California's 45-day critical incident rule under Gov. Code 7923.625 governs release of police bodycam footage. See the timeline, redaction rules, and SB 1421.
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Colorado Police Body Camera Laws: Access & Mandate
Colorado mandates police body cameras statewide and requires misconduct footage released in 21 to 45 days under C.R.S. 24-31-902. See the rules and Aurora case.
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Connecticut Police Body Camera Laws: Rules & Public Access (2026)
Connecticut has required police body cameras statewide since July 2022 under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-6d. Learn the activation, retention, and public-access rules.
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DC Police Body Camera Laws: Rules & Public Access (2026)
DC's Metropolitan Police Department has operated body cameras since 2014 under D.C. Code § 5-116.33. Learn the activation, retention, and public-access rules.
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Delaware Police Body Camera Laws: Rules & Public Access (2026)
Delaware has required police body cameras statewide since 2021 under 11 Del. Code § 8402A. Learn the activation, retention, and public-records access rules.
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Florida Police Bodycam Laws & Public Records
Florida has no statewide bodycam mandate. Learn when footage is public under Fla. Stat. 119.071(2)(l), the 90-day retention floor, and how to get a copy.
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Georgia Police Bodycam Laws: Retention & Open Records Rules
Georgia has no statewide bodycam mandate. See the 180-day/30-month retention rule under O.C.G.A. 50-18-96 and how the Open Records Act governs access.
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Hawaii Police Bodycam Laws: Public Records & Retention Rules
Hawaii has no bodycam statute; all four counties adopted cameras by policy. See how HRS 92F governs footage access, retention, and a 2024 Oahu shooting.
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Idaho Police Body Camera Laws: Access & Retention (2026)
Idaho has no statewide bodycam mandate. Footage retention and public access run through Idaho Code 31-871 and the Public Records Act.
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Illinois Police Body Camera Laws: Mandate & Retention (2026)
Illinois requires bodycams statewide under 50 ILCS 706. Retention, FOIA access rules, and how the Sonya Massey case tested the law, explained for 2026.
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Indiana Police Body Camera Laws: Retention & Access (2026)
Indiana sets 190/280-day bodycam retention and a distinctive preservation-request rule under Ind. Code 5-14-3-5.2/5.3. How to request or preserve footage.
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Iowa Police Body Camera Laws: Access & Public Records
Iowa has no bodycam statute. Access runs through Iowa Code 22.7(5), with courts split on disclosure. See the Neer, Harrison, and Klein rulings and how to
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Kansas Police Body Camera Laws: Access & K.S.A. 45-254
Kansas closes bodycam footage as a criminal investigation record under K.S.A. 45-254. See who can view it within 20 days, and the Topeka shooting that tested
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Kentucky Police Body Camera Laws: KRS 61.168 & Access
Kentucky requires body cameras only for no-knock warrant teams under SB 4. See KRS 61.168 disclosure rules, KRS 61.169 attorney access, and the Breonna Taylor
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Louisiana Police Bodycam Laws (2026): Retention & Records
Louisiana does not require police to use body cameras statewide. See the activation-policy law, retention rules, and how to request footage.
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Maine Police Bodycam Laws (2026): No Mandate & Records Access
Maine has no law requiring police to wear body cameras. See why a 2019 mandate bill died and how footage access works under Maine's FOAA.
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Maryland Police Bodycam Laws (2026): Mandate, Retention & Access
Maryland required all county police to use body cameras by July 1, 2025. See the statute, retention rules, and how to request footage.
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Massachusetts Police Bodycam Laws: Retention & Public Access
Massachusetts has no statewide bodycam mandate. See retention rules (180 days to 30 months), public records access, and redaction requirements for footage.
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Michigan Police Bodycam Laws: Retention & Public Records
Michigan requires no statewide bodycam mandate, but MCL 780.316 sets a 30 day retention floor. See FOIA access rules and the Patrick Lyoya case.
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Minnesota Police Bodycam Laws: Private Data by Default
Minnesota bodycam footage is private data by default under Minn. Stat. 13.825, not public. See retention rules, exceptions, and the Amir Locke case.
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Mississippi Police Bodycam Laws (2026): Mandate & Access
Mississippi has no statewide bodycam mandate outside Capitol Police. Learn how the Public Records Act treats footage and why a 2025 mandate bill died.
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Missouri Police Bodycam Laws (2026): Active vs. Inactive Rule
Missouri bodycam footage stays closed while an investigation is active and opens once it goes inactive under RSMo 610.100. Learn the rule and a real case.
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Montana Police Bodycam Laws (2026): No Statute, Court Fights
Montana has no bodycam statute. Access to footage runs through the state's constitutional right to know and a case-by-case privacy balancing test.
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Nebraska Police Body Camera Laws: Retention & Records
Nebraska has no statewide bodycam mandate. Neb. Rev. Stat. 81-1453 to 81-1454 sets a 90-day retention floor; access runs through general public records law.
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Nevada Police Body Camera Laws: Access & Retention
Nevada requires certain officers to wear body cameras under NRS 289.830. Footage is presumptively public, with a 15-day retention floor and per-incident
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New Hampshire Police Body Camera Laws (2026 Guide)
New Hampshire has no bodycam mandate. RSA 105-D sets 30-180 day retention, and RSA 91-A:5 exempts footage from the Right-to-Know Law except use-of-force video.
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New Jersey Police Body Camera Laws: Mandate & Access
New Jersey requires patrol officers to wear body cameras, keep footage 180 days to 3 years, and process requests through OPRA. See the statute and 2025 ruling.
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New Mexico Police Body Camera Laws: Mandate & Liability
New Mexico requires officers who interact with the public to wear body cameras, keep footage 120 days, and can hold agencies liable for spoliation. See the law.
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New York Police Body Camera Laws: State Police & NYPD
New York has no statewide local bodycam mandate; only State Police must comply. See NYPD's Patrol Guide 212-123 rules, FOIL access, and the 30-day release
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North Carolina Police Body Camera Laws: Access & Court Petitions
North Carolina bodycam footage is not a public record under N.C. Gen. Stat. 132-1.4A. See the court petition process, notice rules, and the 2025 Chemuti ruling.
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North Dakota Police Body Camera Laws: Access & Public Records
North Dakota bodycam footage in public places is open under N.D.C.C. 44-04-18.7. Private-place footage is exempt but discretionary. See real request disputes.
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Ohio Police Body Camera Laws: Access & Public Records
Ohio bodycam footage is a public record under R.C. 149.43(A)(17), with redactions for minors and victims but not officer-caused deaths. Fees now apply.
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Oklahoma Police Bodycam Laws: Access, Retention & Redactions
Oklahoma has no statewide bodycam mandate, but 51 O.S. Section 24A.8 sets disclosure deadlines and redaction rules once footage exists. Here is how it works.
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Oregon Police Bodycam Laws: Retention, Access & Facial Recognition Ban
Oregon law (ORS 133.741) sets a 180-day to 30-month retention window for police bodycam footage and bars facial recognition on recordings. Here is how it works.
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Pennsylvania Bodycam Laws: The 60-Day Request Rule Explained
Pennsylvania's Act 22 pulled bodycam footage out of the Right-to-Know Law and requires a written request within 60 days of recording. Here is how it works.
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Rhode Island Police Body Camera Laws: Access & § 42-161
Rhode Island has no statewide bodycam mandate, but footage is presumptively public under APRA. See the Brown University shooting release and R.I. Gen. Laws
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South Carolina Police Body Camera Laws: Mandate & FOIA Exemption
South Carolina was first to mandate statewide bodycams in 2015, but S.C. Code 23-1-240 exempts footage from FOIA. See the Walter Scott case that drove the law.
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South Dakota Police Body Camera Laws: No Mandate, No Access Rule
South Dakota has no bodycam statute. Departments decide for themselves whether to use cameras, and SDCL 1-27-1.5 lets agencies keep the footage closed to the
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Tennessee Police Bodycam Laws: Access & Records Rules
Tennessee has no dedicated bodycam statute. See how Tenn. Code Ann. 10-7-504(u) governs footage access under the Public Records Act, and why it sunsets in 2027.
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Texas Police Bodycam Laws: Public Access Rules 2026
Texas has no statewide bodycam mandate. See Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 2B.0101 et seq. (recodified 2025), the 90-day retention floor, and public access rules.
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Utah Police Bodycam Laws: Activation, GRAMA & Release Rules
Utah has no statewide bodycam mandate, but Utah Code 77-7a-107 sets GRAMA-based release rules plus a fast-track for shootings and deaths in custody.
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Vermont Police Body Camera Laws: Mandate & Access
Vermont requires only State Police Field Force officers to wear body cameras under 20 V.S.A. 1819. See the model policy, retention, and public records access
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Virginia Police Body Camera Laws: Mandate & FOIA Access
Virginia has no statewide bodycam mandate. See Va. Code 15.2-1723.1's policy rule, Virginia State Police funding, and how VFOIA controls footage access.
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Washington Police Body Camera Laws: Mandate & Access
Washington has no statewide bodycam mandate yet. See RCW 10.109 policy rules and RCW 42.56.240(14)'s public records exemptions for footage access.
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West Virginia Police Body Camera Laws: FOIA & Public Access
West Virginia has no bodycam-specific statute. See how W. Va. Code Chapter 29B (FOIA) governs footage access, response deadlines, and the Exline case.
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Wisconsin Police Body Camera Laws: Wis. Stat. 165.87
Wisconsin regulates body cameras under Wis. Stat. 165.87. See retention rules, the 2024 redaction-fee law, and how to request footage.
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Wyoming Police Body Camera Laws: W.S. 16-4-203 Access
Wyoming's peace officer recording law, W.S. 16-4-203(d)(xviii), keeps bodycam footage closed by default. See the narrow exceptions and how release works.
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