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A RESOLUTION
21-339
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
December 15, 2015
To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend Title II of the District of Columbia Administrative Procedure Act to allow public access to certain body-worn camera recordings recorded by the Metropolitan Police Department; to amend the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Support Act of 2015 to require the Mayor to collect additional data; to establish the Metropolitan Police Department Body-Worn Camera Fund; and to adopt regulations governing the Metropolitan Police Department’s Body-Worn Camera Program.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Body-Worn Camera Program Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2015”.
Sec. 2. (a) After 8 months of public comment and consideration, on November 19, 2015, the Committee on the Judiciary voted unanimously to approve Bill 21-351, the Body-Worn Camera Program Amendment Act of 2015, thereby creating guidelines for the implementation of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Body-Worn Camera Program (“BWC Program”).
(b) This emergency legislation would amend Title II of the District of Columbia Administrative Procedure Act, effective March 25, 1977 (D.C. Law 1-96; D.C. Official Code § 2-531 et seq.), to allow public access to certain body-worn camera recordings recorded by the Metropolitan Police Department; amend the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Support Act of 2015, effective October 22, 2015 (D.C. Law 21-36; 62 DCR 10905), to require the Mayor to collect additional data; establish the Metropolitan Police Department Body-Worn Camera Fund; and adopt regulations governing the Metropolitan Police Department’s Body-Worn Camera Program.
(c) The Council voted unanimously in favor of Bill 21-351 on first reading on December 1, 2015.
(d) It is necessary to now pass the Body-Worn Camera Program Emergency Amendment Act of 2015 on an emergency basis due to the need to begin implementation of the BWC Program.
Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Body-Worn Camera Program Emergency Amendment Act of 2015 be adopted after a single reading.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
