WASHINGTON — During a panel discussion in Annapolis, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said he plans to sign a bill that would enable police across the state to wear body cameras.
“Having the real evidence of exactly what happened and having everything videotaped is a step in the right direction,” Hogan said during a discussion Thursday with the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association.
The bill recently passed by the General Assembly would allow police to wear cameras that record video and audio, an exception to Maryland’s current law, which prohibits audio surveillance unless “all participants have given prior consent.”
“We will sign the bill into law,” Hogan said.
The governor highlighted this week’s protests in Baltimore over the death of Freddie Gray, the man who was arrested by police and later died from a spinal injury. An investigation is underway into Gray’s death.
“We’re getting bits and pieces of video information from bystanders that may or may not show the whole story,” Hogan added.
Hogan told the panel that police body cameras, had they been used in this instance, would have provided a more complete picture of what happened.
