A new tender from Governor Tarcísio de Freitas' administration for the purchase of 12,000 body cameras for the São Paulo Military Police includes a change in how recording is conducted, giving officers control over when to start recording.
Currently, the approximately 10,000 cameras in use record continuously without requiring officers to activate them. With the change, officers will need to activate the cameras to start recording. A central unit will also have the ability to start recording remotely if it notices that an officer is not following protocol.
Public safety experts say the new model could hinder future investigations.
According to Daniel Edler from USP's Center for the Study of Violence, the tender removes the features that made the cameras "a good tool for monitoring the use of force" and turns them into "an operational tool for the police."
Data shows a reduction in police lethality since the body camera program began in 2021. The following year, there was an 80% decrease in deaths.
The governor stated that the new features will allow for "better governance" and greater control over the captured footage and field operations.