Under a law approved by the Missouri Legislature in 2015, the public will not have access to body camera and vehicle camera footage during ongoing investigations. And even after an investigation is over, the footage would remain inaccessible if recorded in “nonpublic locations,” such as homes or schools, under the law. In those cases, people who are in the video, their family members or their lawyers could access the footage. Others would need a court’s permission.

The law allows a judge to consider whether the release of the video to the public is “reasonably likely to bring shame or humiliation to a person of ordinary sensibilities.”

In police departments across the country, questions remain as to whether officers should have the right to turn off the cameras at certain times — such as when they enter a private home to help a victim of domestic violence — and who could view the sensitive footage if they don’t.