A New Hampshire Democratic lawmaker’s 107 mph traffic stop has thrust the debate over police body cameras and dashboard cameras back into the spotlight after Fox News Digital confirmed the sheriff’s office involved in the stop has neither.
The lack of body camera and dashboard camera footage has become a focal point in the legal battle involving state Rep. Ellen Read, who is fighting charges stemming from two Rockingham County traffic stops, including one in which a deputy accused her of driving 107 mph. Read argues both stops violated a provision of the New Hampshire Constitution protecting lawmakers while traveling to and from legislative duties.
Without body camera or dashboard camera footage, there is no official recording of the traffic stop that sparked a constitutional fight over legislative immunity.
Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office Major Christopher Bashaw told Fox News Digital the agency does not use body-worn cameras or dashboard cameras because it lacks funding to purchase them.
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“We don’t have that either,” Bashaw said when asked whether deputies use body cameras or dashboard cameras, adding the sheriff’s office would like to equip deputies with the technology.
New Hampshire lawmakers established a Body-Worn and Dashboard Camera Fund in 2021 to provide matching grants to local law enforcement agencies for purchasing cameras and covering maintenance, replacement and data storage costs. All local law enforcement agencies are eligible to apply.
State law also requires agencies that choose to deploy body cameras to adopt policies governing when officers must record law enforcement encounters, including traffic stops. The law, however, does not require agencies to purchase or use body cameras.
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It is unclear whether the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office has applied for funding through the state grant program.
Read told Fox News Digital she has consistently supported legislation governing body-worn cameras, as well as funding to help law enforcement agencies purchase them. She also said she would be willing to work with the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office to help secure funding for body cameras in the next state budget.
Read said she supports funding body cameras even though she questions other forms of law enforcement spending, including military-grade equipment and expensive vehicles.
She also disputed the sheriff’s office’s assertion that she recorded part of the traffic stop on her cellphone.
“They are incorrect, I wish I had,” Read said. “The officers conveniently not wearing/using body cams are the reason that I’m investing in a dash cam.
