Legislature May Punt Body Camera Guidelines to Next Year

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Minnesota lawmakers may wait until next year to pass guidelines for police body cameras.

Unrest since the police shooting in Ferguson, Mo. has spurred a rush to equip police officers with the small recording devices. The cameras are already in use in Duluth and Burnsville. A pilot project is underway in Minneapolis.

But a top House Republican says there are too many issues to sort out this year. Rep. Tony Cornish of Good Thunder says he'd rather commission a study of those issues, and try again next year.

Cornish and other lawmakers are concerned that the footage will remain largely public until the Legislature weighs in.

Ben Feist of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota says broad public access in the meantime will boost transparency.

Waite Park has shown interest in the use of body cameras on it's officers.