Senate approves compromise bill to require body-worn cameras with privacy guards

The Utah Senate passed first substitute House Bill 300, a negotiated compromise requiring law-enforcement agencies to adopt body-worn camera policies that balance public transparency and individual privacy, by a roll call of 25 yeas, 0 nays, 4 absent. The measure, carried to the floor by Senator Thatcher, was presented as the product of months of stakeholder negotiation including local governments, media, civil‑liberties groups and law enforcement.

Sponsor Senator Thatcher told colleagues the bill is “the grand compromise between all interested parties” and said it requires post‑policies to meet eight specific standards. He said the measure “strikes the right balance between a reasonable expectation of privacy for a citizen … and the public interest served by disclosure.”

Senator Shiozawa raised concerns that recordings captured in sensitive settings could implicate federal health‑privacy protections and noted the hospital association’s worry about HIPAA violations. “The hospital association basically is concerned a little bit about body cameras and HIPAA violations,” she said and said she was willing to work with sponsors on adjustments.

Supporters and the sponsor said agencies were already broadly compliant with the required standards and that the bill’s ‘‘reasonable expectation of privacy’’ language directs weigh­-offs between privacy interests and the public interest in disclosure. The Senate voted on a roll call to pass the bill under suspension of the rules; the bill will be signed by the chamber’s president and transmitted for enrollment.