Barroso says Tarcísio has changed his stance on body cameras and praises the governor.
On February 12, Barroso granted the São Paulo state government 30 days to provide more information about the use of body cameras by the Military Police.
247 - The president of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Luís Roberto Barroso, publicly praised the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas, on Monday (10) for his change of stance regarding the use of body cameras by the Military Police (PM) of the state.
During an event at the São Paulo Municipal Court of Accounts, Barroso highlighted that body cameras improve public safety, reduce police lethality, and protect good police officers, stating that Tarcísio "was convinced by these arguments" and is implementing the model in the state. The statement was released by Metropolis.
"Regarding body cameras, I believe all research documents that they improve public safety, reduce police lethality, and protect good police officers. I publicly commend the governor of the state of São Paulo, who was convinced by these arguments and is implementing this model in São Paulo, which I think is extremely positive," he said.
The mandatory use of cameras was determined by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) in December 2024, following a request from the Public Defender's Office of São Paulo, and includes uninterrupted recordings in large-scale operations and in vulnerable communities.
On February 12, Barroso granted the São Paulo state government 30 days to provide more information about the use of body cameras by the state's military police officers.
According to the ruling, Tarcísio's government must detail which indicators will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the measure. The order of priority for adopting body cameras on police uniforms, based on the risks of police lethality, must also be clarified.
The extension had been requested by the Attorney General's Office of the State of São Paulo. The agency argued that the Military Police Intelligence Center is preparing the surveys, but more time would be needed, given the amount of data that needs to be collected and analyzed.
The initial response time was 45 days, as stated in the December 9th decision in which Barroso mandated the use of body cameras by the São Paulo Military Police. According to this decision, the equipment must be capable of uninterrupted recording. He granted a request from the São Paulo Public Defender's Office.
In a new decision, dated December 26, Barroso limited the mandatory use of cameras to "large-scale operations," incursions into vulnerable communities, and operations launched to respond to attacks against police officers.
The minister acknowledged the São Paulo state government's claim that it did not have enough cameras for its entire police force, which exceeds 80 officers. He ordered that the equipment be allocated to regions with higher rates of police lethality.
History
The São Paulo state government committed to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) last April to use body cameras in police operations in the state and presented a timeline outlining the implementation of the system. The state anticipated a new bidding process and the acquisition of new equipment.
The adoption of the measure, however, has been delayed due to doubts regarding the purchase of 12 cameras from Motorola. The purchase was criticized, however, for including changes in the way the equipment is activated, which would not allow for uninterrupted recording, as determined by the Supreme Court. (With information from Agência Brasil).
