Tennessee Lawmakers to Police: Turn on Body Cameras or Face Felony Charges

Lawmakers in Tennessee are considering the passage of a new law that would severely penalize any police officer who fails to turn on his or her body-worn camera, or who intentionally turns it off during an encounter with a citizen.

According to CBS News , the proposed law comes in the wake of a case in which three officers allegedly turned off their body cameras before one of the officers shot and wounded 26-year-old Martavious Banks.

Police say three officers deliberately hid their actions from supervisors by communicating on a radio frequency that dispatch couldn't hear.

Under the proposed law, officers would face felony charges for intentionally disabling a body camera.

The Memphis Police Association says that body camera policy violations should be treated as policy violations, not criminal activity.