Council of the Ministry of Justice approves body camera recommendation for security agents

On January 19, the National Council for Criminal and Penitentiary Policy, linked to the Ministry of Justice, approved the recommendation for public and private security agents to wear body cameras on their uniforms.

According to the document, which establishes standards to be observed in the use of environmental recording equipment, the recommendation is valid for military police officers, civil police officers, municipal guards, prison officers, firefighters and private surveillance agents. Presided over by judge Douglas de Melo Martins, the CNPCP has 13 full members, including the president of the Humanitas360 Institute, Patrícia Villela Marino.

“The guideline, which provides recommendations such as the recording and storage of images captured from police uniforms, is fundamental to the transparency of Brazilian public security”, says the president of H360. “This is also an important legacy that minister and friend Flávio Dino leaves behind from his work in the Ministry of Justice.”

In an interview with O Globo newspaper, Douglas de Melo Martins commented on the decision: “The Council decided that instead of approving a resolution, which would have a more imposing character, we would rather establish a recommendation that points to a horizon that is more desirable. We take into account what is desirable, with the existing technology, its cost, and the conditions that may or may not be achieved. So what we have to present with this recommendation is a horizon to be achieved.”

According to a survey by Folha de S.Paulo newspaper, police officers from at least 25 countries use body cameras that record their actions on duty. In Europe, the practice has existed for almost 20 years. In Brazil, however, only eight states currently adopt cameras, in some cases under criticism or threats of discontinuity of the policy. The CNPCP recommendation allows for a national discussion on the topic.