ATLANTA — The shooting of Jacob Blake, the Black man shot several times on Sunday by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has sparked protests and calls for racial justice across the country.
But it has also sparked additional questions regarding police surveillance in each state.
Cellphone footage of the incident shows police shooting Blake as he leaned into his SUV — apparently while three of his children were sitting in the vehicle. Kenosha Police do not wear body cameras, but they do have body microphones.
THE QUESTION
A viewer contacted 11Alive via Facebook, wondering if every police officer is required to wear a body camera.
THE ANSWER
We can verify that while five states require police officers to wear body cameras, Georgia and Wisconsin are not included among them.
SOURCES
WHAT WE FOUND
The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council is a state agency that sets training requirements for law enforcement agencies in the state.
An agency representative confirmed that police officers in the state of Georgia are not required to wear body cameras on duty, unless individual municipalities or police agencies require them.
Georgia state lawmakers have made attempts to make body cameras on peace officers mandatory state-wide. In 2016, a bill was introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives that would have required all officers in the state to wear body cameras, but it died in the State House.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, there are only five states that require at least some police to wear body cameras: South Carolina, Connecticut, Nevada, California, and Florida. Many of these laws include the requirement depending on state or local funding.