D.C. Code § 5-116.33 – Body-Worn Camera Program; reporting requirements; access.

*NOTE: This section includes amendments by temporary legislation that will expire on January 22, 2027. To view the text of this section after the expiration of all emergency and temporary legislation, click this link: Past Permanent Version.*

(a) By October 1, 2015, and every 6 months thereafter, the Mayor shall collect, and make available in a publicly accessible format, data on the Metropolitan Police Department’s Body-Worn Camera Program, including:
1. (1) How many hours of body-worn camera recordings were collected;
2. (2) How many times body-worn cameras failed while officers were on shift and the reasons for the failures;
3. (3) How many times internal investigations were opened for a failure to turn on body-worn cameras during interactions, and the results of those internal investigations, including any discipline imposed;
4. (4) How many times body-worn camera recordings were used by the Metropolitan Police Department in internal affairs investigations;
5. (5) How many times body-worn camera recordings were used by the Metropolitan Police Department to investigate complaints made by an individual or group;
6. (6) How many body-worn cameras are assigned to each police district and police unit for the reporting period;
7. (7) How many Freedom of Information Act requests the Metropolitan Police Department ("Department") received for body-worn camera recordings during the reporting period, the outcome of each request, including any reasons for denial, any costs invoiced to the requestor, the cost to the Department for complying with each request, including redaction, and the length of time between the initial request and the Department's final response; and
8. (8) How many recordings were assigned to each body-worn camera recording category.
(b) The Metropolitan Police Department shall provide the Office of Police Complaints with direct access to body-worn camera recordings.
(c) Notwithstanding any other law:
1. (1) Within 5 business days after a request from the Chairperson of the Council Committee with jurisdiction over the Metropolitan Police Department ("Chairperson"), the Metropolitan Police Department shall provide unredacted copies of the requested body-worn camera recordings to the Chairperson and the Councilmember elected by the Ward in which the incident occurred. Such body-worn camera recordings shall not be publicly disclosed by the Chairperson or the Council; and
2. (2) The Mayor:
  1. (A) Shall, except as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection:
    1. (i) Within 5 business days after an officer-involved death or the serious use of force, publicly release:
      1. (I) The names and body-worn camera recordings of all Metropolitan Police Department officers, as well as the names, as available, of all other law enforcement officers, directly involved in the officer-involved death or serious use of force; and
      2. (II) A description of the incident;
    2. (i-I) Notwithstanding sub-subparagraph (i) of this subparagraph, for incidents occurring between August 1, 2025, and March 23, 2026, within 10 business days after March 23, 2026, publicly release:
      1. (I) The names and body-worn camera recordings of all Metropolitan Police Department officers, as well as the names, as available, of all other law enforcement officers, directly involved in the officer-involved death or serious use of force; and
      2. (II) A description of the incident; and
    3. (ii) Maintain, on the website of the Metropolitan Police Department in a format readily accessible and searchable by the public, the names and body-worn camera recordings of all officers who were directly involved in an officer-involved death since the Body-Worn Camera Program was launched on October 1, 2014; provided, that for all officer-involved deaths since August 1, 2025, the information reported pursuant to this sub-subparagraph shall include the names of all Metropolitan Police Department officers as well as other law enforcement officers directly involved in the officer-involved death; and
  2. (B) May, on a case-by-case basis in matters of significant public interest and after consultation with the Chief of Police, the Office of the Attorney General, and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, publicly release any other body-worn camera recordings that may not otherwise be releasable pursuant to a FOIA request or subparagraph (A) of this paragraph.
3. (3)
  1. (A) The Mayor shall not release a body-worn camera recording pursuant to paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection if the following persons inform the Mayor, orally or in writing, that they do not consent to its release:
    1. (i) For a body-worn camera recording of an officer-involved death, the decedent's next of kin; and
    2. (ii) For a body-worn camera recording of a serious use of force, the individual against whom the serious use of force was used, or if the individual is a minor or unable to consent, the individual's next of kin.
  2. (B)
    1. (i) In the event of a disagreement between the persons who must consent to the release of a body-worn camera recording pursuant to subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, the Mayor shall seek a resolution in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
    2. (ii) The Superior Court of the District of Columbia shall order the release of the body-worn camera recording if it finds that the release is in the interest of justice.
(d) Before publicly releasing a body-worn camera recording of an officer-involved death, the Metropolitan Police Department shall:
1. (1) Consult with an organization with expertise in trauma and grief on best practices for providing the decedent's next of kin with a reasonable opportunity to view the body-worn camera recording privately in a non-law enforcement setting prior to its release; and
2. (2) In a manner that is informed by the consultation described in paragraph (1) of this subsection:
  1. (A) Provide actual notice to the decedent's next of kin at least 24 hours before the release, including the date on and the manner in which it will be released;
  2. (B) Offer the decedent's next of kin a reasonable opportunity to view the body-worn camera recording privately in a non-law enforcement setting; and
  3. (C) If the next of kin accepts the offer in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, provide the decedent's next of kin a reasonable opportunity to view the body-worn camera recording privately in a non-law enforcement setting.
(e)
1. (1) For any incident involving an officer-involved death directly involving an MPD officer or serious use of force directly involving an MPD officer, MPD officers shall not review any body-worn camera recordings to assist in initial report writing; provided, that MPD officers may review body-worn camera recordings to assist in initial report writing for incidents involving an officer-involved death directly involving a law enforcement officer other than an MPD officer or serious use of force directly involving a law enforcement officer other than an MPD officer prior to March 23, 2026.
2. (2) For an incident other than those described in paragraph (1) of this subsection, officers shall indicate, when writing any initial or subsequent reports, whether the officer viewed body-worn camera footage prior to writing the report and specify what body-worn camera footage the officer viewed.
(f) When releasing body-worn camera recordings, the likenesses of any local, county, state, or federal government law enforcement officers acting in their professional capacities, other than those acting undercover, shall not be redacted or otherwise obscured.
(g) For the purposes of this section, the term:
1. (1) "FOIA" means subchapter II of Chapter 5 of Title 2.
2. (1A) "Law enforcement officer" means any officer, agent, or employee of the United States or any state or local government authorized by law or by a government agency to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, or investigation of any violation of criminal or civil law.
3. (1B) "MPD" means the Metropolitan Police Department.
4. (2) "Next of kin" means the priority for next of kin as provided in Metropolitan Police Department General Order 401.08, or its successor directives.
5. (2A) "Serious bodily injury" means extreme physical pain, illness, or impairment of physical condition including physical injury that involves a substantial risk of death, protracted and obvious disfigurement, protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member or organ, or protracted loss of consciousness.
6. (3) "Serious use of force" means any:
  1. (A) Firearm discharges by a MPD officer, or any other law enforcement officer while an MPD officer is present, with the exception of a negligent discharge that does not otherwise put members of the public at risk of injury or death, or a range or training incident;
  2. (B) Head strikes by a MPD officer, or any other law enforcement officer while an MPD officer is present with an impact weapon;
  3. (C) Use of force by a MPD officer, or any other law enforcement officer while an MPD officer is present:
    1. (i) Resulting in serious bodily injury;
    2. (ii) Resulting in a protracted loss of consciousness, or that create a substantial risk of death, serious disfigurement, disability or impairment of the functioning of any body part or organ;
    3. (iii) Involving the use of a prohibited technique, as that term is defined in § 5-125.02(6); and
    4. (iv) Resulting in a death; and
  4. (D) Incidents in which a MPD canine, or canine of any other law enforcement officer while an MPD officer is present bites a person.

History

Oct. 22, 2015, D.C. Law 21-36, § 3004, 62 DCR 10905

Mar. 9, 2016, D.C. Law 21-83, § 3, 63 DCR 774

Apr. 21, 2023, D.C. Law 24-345, § 103

Sept. 6, 2023, D.C. Law 25-50, § 8002(e)(1)

June 8, 2024, D.C. Law 25-175, § 11

June 11, 2026, D.C. Law 26-139, § 2

Emergency Legislation

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 3 of the Body-Worn Camera Program Emergency Amendment Act of 2015 (D.C. Act 21-253, Dec. 30, 2015, 63 DCR 271).

For temporary (90 days) addition of this section, see § 3004 of the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2015 (D.C. Act 21-127, July 27, 2015, 62 DCR 10201).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 103 of Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Second Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Act 23-336, July 22, 2020, 67 DCR 9148).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 103 of Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Act 23-437, Oct. 28, 2020, 67 DCR 12993).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 103 of Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2021 (D.C. Act 24-76, May 3, 2021, 68 DCR 004935).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 103 of Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2021 (D.C. Act 24-128, July 29, 2021, 68 DCR 007656).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 103 of Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Act 24-370, Apr. 7, 2022, 69 DCR 3370).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 103 of Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Act 24-454, June 28, 2022, 69 DCR 007767).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 103 of Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2023 (D.C. Act 25-61, Mar. 24, 2023, 70 DCR 3820).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 8 of Secure DC Omnibus Emergency Amendment Act of 2024 (D.C. Act 25-410, Mar. 11, 2024, 71 DCR 2693).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 8 of Secure DC Omnibus Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2024 (D.C. Act 25-490, June 7, 2024, 71 DCR 7006).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of Body-Worn Camera Transparency for Use of Force Emergency Amendment Act of 2026 (D.C. Act 26-282, Mar. 23, 2026, 73 DCR 5081).