House members are asking federal police to wear body cameras.

Ross D. Franklin / AP Photo

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) are requesting federal police agencies like the Capitol Police, Supreme Court Police, and others wear body cameras.

The pair introduced legislation in the house to mandate body cameras for all uniformed federal police officers. It passed, but the measure has not been taken up by the Senate. So instead, they’re asking for departments to voluntarily take those steps.

“We urge you to implement the policies outlined in the Federal Police Camera and Accountability Act (H.R. 1163), which directs all uniformed federal police officers to wear body cameras and all marked federal police cars to have dashboard cameras,” Norton and Beyer said in letters sent Monday to President Joe Biden, Capitol Police Board Chair Karen Gibson and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. “The bill has already passed the House of Representatives twice as part of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.”

They are also requesting police vehicles be outfitted with dash cams.

Norton and Beyer submitted the bill after the 2017 killing of Bijan Ghaisar by U.S. Park Police. It has since been rolled into the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which has stalled in the Senate.

“While some federal law enforcement agencies have begun to adopt camera programs, we strongly believe that every federal law enforcement agency should be required to do so. We believe this is a simple but necessary step to protect officers and the public.”