6 bills sought to reduce public access to police body camera footage, BGA Policy found

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Nearly all officers in Illinois must wear body cameras to help collect evidence and keep officers accountable.

However, several legislative efforts this year tried to limit access to that footage, according to an analysis by BGA Policy.

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Body camera footage is already treated differently under the Freedom of Information Act.

Other government records are presumed available under FOIA, unless exempted.

However, body camera video is presumed exempt, unless it meets specific criteria.

Research from BGA Policy found six bills that would have made accessing that footage even harder.

You can read the Better Government Association's full analysis on police body cameras on their website, www.bettergov.org.