By Joanna Putman
Police1
HOUSTON — The Houston Police Department has announced it now uses a new feature on its officers’ body cameras to record every interaction, even if the officer forgets to turn the camera on, KHOU reported.
The department has been using the feature since late 2023, according to the report. State law prohibits continuous body camera recording through an officer’s entire shift.
The announcement comes as part of an effort to be more transparent about body camera policies, according to a KTRK report.
“It’s not to spy on our officers. It’s not. It’s to capture those police encounters that were missed,” Houston Police Department Chief Troy Finner stated.
The department does not yet have a firm policy on the continuous recording feature. Until a policy is established, Finner is the only one who can access videos of interactions “after the fact,” according to the KHOU report.
“When we have some technology, we can sit down and craft a policy that’s going to cover everybody and get that footage, so we can continue to build trust,” Finner said.
The police union that represents Houston officers is working with the department to establish a policy that protects officers’ privacy, according to the report.
