The White House has issued new guidance requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to wear body cameras during traffic stops. This decision follows recent fatal shootings that have reignited the debate over the use of body cameras in law enforcement. Former Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf shared insights about this policy change on ‘America Reports.’
In New Hampshire, a traffic stop involving Democratic state Rep. Ellen Read has brought attention to police body cameras. The sheriff’s office involved does not use body or dashboard cameras due to funding limitations. Read contests traffic-related charges, claiming constitutional protection for lawmakers traveling to or from legislative duties. The absence of camera footage complicates the legal challenge.
“We don’t have that either,” said Major Christopher Bashaw of the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, regarding the use of body and dashboard cameras. The office would like to equip deputies with this technology.
New Hampshire established a Body-Worn and Dashboard Camera Fund in 2021. This fund offers matching grants to local law enforcement for purchasing cameras. Agencies must adopt policies for recording encounters if they choose to use the cameras, but purchase is not mandatory. It is unclear if Rockingham County has applied for this funding.
Read supports body camera legislation and aims to secure future funding for them, despite concerns about other law enforcement expenses. She clarified that she did not record the incident on her cellphone, contradicting the sheriff’s office’s account. A witness who overheard a cellphone call testified in court.
Read argues the constitutional provision offers protection from delays, not prosecution. She admits to driving 85 mph but disputes the 107 mph account. Lawrence Friedman, a professor at New England Law, stated the provision aims to prevent delays in legislative duties, not grant immunity from traffic violations.
“It’s unlikely a court would grant absolute immunity from arrest for a moving violation,” Friedman told Fox News Digital.
The New Hampshire Supreme Court has not ruled on the constitutional challenge. It prefers to observe how the issue unfolds in trial court. Bashaw emphasized that the provision should not shield lawmakers from accountability for dangerous driving, nor prevent consequences for serious offenses like vehicular homicide. Read acknowledged the need to modernize the constitutional language to align with current realities.
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