Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Dallas, is pictured speaking during a public event in Harrisburg earlier this year.

Gov. Josh Shapiro has signed legislation that will expand the use of body cameras to include state game officials, DCNR rangers and Fish and Boat Commission officers and deputies.

Senate Bill 520, sponsored by Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Dallas, was passed unanimously by both the state House and Senate on Nov. 19 and was signed into law by Shapiro on Monday. The legislation authorizes body camera use by special agents with the Office of Attorney General, rangers with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and officers and deputies with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Fish and Boat Commission.

“Providing more law enforcement professionals with access to body cameras strengthens accountability and transparency, while also supporting officers in the performance of their duties,” Baker said. “This legislation reflects our commitment to improving public safety, building trust and ensuring consistent standards across agencies.”

The bill also consolidates and modernizes the legal framework governing body camera usage by updating the definition of law enforcement officer under the Wiretap Act, aligning policies across agencies and repealing outdated provisions. These changes ensure the uniform recording and management of body camera footage regardless of the department using the technology.

Baker said the state passed Act 202 in 2015 that gave authority for trained officers of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Pennsylvania Game Commission to wear body cameras. Waterways conservation officers of the Fish and Boat Commission and certain officers and game wardens of the Game Commission were able to receive training and wear these devices. At that time, deputies of the agencies were purposefully excluded, a prohibition that remained in state law until Monday.

The law doesn’t mandate use of body cameras, but instead allows the agencies to decide if they want body cameras to be used and, if they do want to use body cameras, to follow their own timelines to purchase them.

Baker’s co-sponsorship memorandum said expanding body cameras makes sense because many officers work independently and in remote areas, oftentimes in locations that have poor radio and cellphone coverage, and frequently encounter individuals who are themselves armed. Additionally, Baker said, the nature of law enforcement within the agencies is evolving as officers are increasingly confronting serious drug activity and other criminal cases outside of the scope of sporting safety, wildlife protection and outdoor recreation.

“I strongly support body cameras for law enforcement who face potential danger every time they respond to a dispatch or call,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “Our agents deal with some of the most violent individuals in the Commonwealth when they execute search warrants, make vehicle stops, and conduct arrests, and they deserve the protection that cameras provide. There is also an obligation of public transparency – body cameras give officers an indisputable account of what happened during an interaction. I thank Sen. Baker and all legislative leaders who pushed for this necessary legislation that makes our agents safer and fulfills the need for accountability and transparency.”