Body-worn cameras: policies

The law adds a patient-privacy safeguard for footage captured during emergency medical or psychological care while preserving agencies’ unredacted records and public-records access rights.

What the law does ​

• Requires law enforcement agencies with body-camera policies to add a redaction-request procedure by July 1, 2027.
• Lets emergency service personnel request redaction of evidentiary and nonevidentiary footage showing a patient receiving medical or psychological evaluation, procedures, or treatment before public release.
• Allows redaction to include blurring patient care and muting audio.
• Requires agencies to retain an unredacted copy under their existing body-camera data policies.
• Does not limit protections under state medical-information confidentiality law, HIPAA, or the public’s rights under the California Public Records Act.

Who it affects ​

• Law enforcement agencies that maintain body-worn camera policies.
• Emergency service personnel providing patient care.
• Patients recorded during emergency medical or psychological care.

Context ​

The state may reimburse local agencies and school districts if the Commission on State Mandates finds the new policy requirement creates reimbursable state-mandated costs.