The use of body cameras by police officers has always been an extremely controversial subject. Many arguments against it are compelling, but the most difficult one to answer is: are body cameras legal?
While recording in public is legal in most parts of the United States, some states make it more difficult. The majority of the states allow recording of video and audio in public places because, obviously, those are public areas, which means you can what you please as long as you’re not infringing any laws or other people’s rights. Those states allow recording even if you’re in privately-owned businesses as long as there are no signs up prohibiting such activities.
But not every state has such lax laws when it comes to public recording. Some states, such as Pennsylvania, allow video and audio recording as long as the person being recorded doesn’t complain. If you’re asked to stop recording, you must stop recording audio immediately, although recording video is still ok.
When it comes to recording in private property, the laws are pretty standard throughout the entire country. It’s strictly prohibited to record video and audio in private property unless you have the owner’s permission to do so.
Although this article sheds a light upon most people’s questions, it would be too lengthy to get into a detailed answer explaining every state’s laws. We recommend checking your state’s laws as these are subject to change without any warning.
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