Body-worn cameras: policies.

Senator Wahab's proposal to amend California's body-worn camera regulations would prohibit law enforcement personnel from recording individuals during medical or psychological evaluations, while establishing new requirements for data management and retention. Under the measure, law enforcement agencies must update their body-worn camera policies by July 1, 2026, to include procedures for stopping recordings when requested by emergency medical services personnel during medical interventions.

The bill outlines specific data retention requirements, mandating that non-evidentiary footage be kept for at least 60 days, while recordings involving use of force incidents, arrests, or formal complaints must be preserved for a minimum of two years. For footage potentially relevant to criminal prosecutions, agencies must follow existing evidence retention protocols. The measure requires agencies to implement safeguards against unauthorized access and tampering, including permanent retention of access logs and strict controls on data downloading and storage.

When utilizing third-party vendors for data management, agencies must select experienced providers and establish contracts that protect data integrity through audit trails, automatic backups, and technical support capabilities. The bill preserves public access rights to recordings under the California Public Records Act while maintaining existing medical privacy protections under state and federal law. As a state-mandated program, local agencies would be eligible for reimbursement of costs associated with implementing the new requirements.