April 15, 2011 8:01AM # Cops and Cameras: Legal and on TV By [David Rittgers](https://www.cato.org/people/david-rittgers) --- SHARE The controversy over [citizens getting arrested](../../../../../cops-on-camera/) [for recording](../../../../../cops-on-camera-lapd-edition/) [on-duty law enforcement officers](../../../../../cop-cams-on-the-rise/) is prompting legislation. Connecticut has a two-party wiretap law (the audio of a recording is the justification for arrest) and is looking to pass a [statute](http://blogs.courant.com/capitol_watch/2011/04/judiciary-committee-endorse-th.html) that specifically protects citizen journalism. This is preventive medicine more than anything — Maryland, Illinois, and Massachusetts have been the chief offenders — but a welcome development nonetheless. The headset cameras [I’ve written about](https://www.cato.org/cop-cams-on-the-rise/) are going to make their reality TV debut on *[Police POV](http://www.trutv.com/shows/police-pov/index.html)* on the TruTV network. The series will show footage of officers in [Cincinnati, Chattanooga, and Fort Smith, Arkansas](http://cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/2011/04/13/more-cincinnati-police-women-on-tv/), all filmed with cameras mounted on the officers. The promotional footage shows at least one SWAT raid, proof positive that if you’re willing to strap on a helmet and 45 pounds of body armor and gear, a couple of extra pounds of camera aren’t a bridge too far, and ought to be required. While Radley Balko has [highlighted](http://www.theagitator.com/2008/04/03/from-the-desk-of-al-roker/) [some](http://reason.com/archives/2009/08/31/dont-tase-me-sis) [shenanigans](http://www.theagitator.com/2011/03/25/more-reality-cop-show-shenanigans/) with police reality TV shows, creating a new normal where officers not only accept the prospect of being filmed on the job but embrace the technology for evidentiary and liability reasons is a step in the right direction. I make the case for more cameras in law enforcement operations with Radley and Clark Neilly [in this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE8Xom38Rd8&feature=player_detailpage): ##### Related Tags [Constitutional Law](https://www.cato.org/constitutional-law), [Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies](https://www.cato.org/robert-levy-center-constitutional-studies) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).