City of Baltimore - File #: 15-0255R

• File #: 15-0255R
• Version: 0
• Name: Request for State Action - Special Sales Tax on Handguns and Handgun Ammunition to Fund Police Body Cameras
• Type: City Council Resolution
• Status: Failed - End of Term
• File created: 8/17/2015
• In control: Public Safety Committee
• Final action: 12/5/2016
• Title: Request for State Action - Special Sales Tax on Handguns and Handgun Ammunition to Fund Police Body Cameras FOR the purpose of calling on the General Assembly to enact, and the Governor to sign, legislation establishing a 10% special sales tax on handguns and handgun ammunition to generate an ongoing revenue stream that could be used to provide matching grants to local jurisdictions to obtain and maintain body cameras for their officers.
• Sponsors: Bill Henry, James B. Kraft, Carl Stokes, Mary Pat Clarke, Robert Curran, Warren Branch
• Indexes: Fund, Handguns and Handgun Ammunition, Police Body Cameras, Request for State Action, Special Sales Tax

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
11/17/2015	0	Public Safety Committee	Recommended Favorably	Fail
9/21/2015	0	Public Safety Committee	Scheduled for a Public Hearing
8/20/2015	0	The City Council	Refer to City Solicitor
8/20/2015	0	The City Council	Refer to Police Department
8/17/2015	0	City Council	Assigned
8/17/2015	0	City Council	Introduced

* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*

CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)

Introduced by: Councilmember Henry


A RESOLUTION ENTITLED

A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
title
Request for State Action - Special Sales Tax on Handguns and Handgun Ammunition to Fund Police Body Cameras
FOR the purpose of calling on the General Assembly to enact, and the Governor to sign, legislation establishing a 10% special sales tax on handguns and handgun ammunition to generate an ongoing revenue stream that could be used to provide matching grants to local jurisdictions to obtain and maintain body cameras for their officers.
body

Recitals

There is a broad and growing consensus at all levels of government that police officers should be outfitted with body cameras to record their interactions with the public. These cameras have proven to be effective in gathering evidence to resolve disputes about interactions, protecting both citizens and officers from false allegations, and are also believed to help moderate behavior by all sides in encounters that they know are being filmed.

However, despite the belief that police body cameras can improve policing and community relations, their deployment has been slowed by concerns about costs. The up-front costs for outfitting a large police force with cameras can be substantial; and the ongoing data storage costs generated by the thousands of hours of footage created by the cameras can be even more significant. Some jurisdictions have found that data storage costs alone can r...