The president of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Luís Roberto Barroso, approved on Thursday (08/05) an agreement signed between the São Paulo state government and the Public Defender’s Office that allows body cameras to be activated by police officers themselves, eliminating the requirement for continuous recording. The decision followed the third conciliation hearing held on Wednesday (07/05). In addition to the recordings initiated by officers, the Military Police Operations Center (Copom) will be required to activate the cameras remotely during large-scale operations. Simultaneously, São Paulo’s Metropolitan Civil Guard (GCM) has been granted new authority to inspect vehicles, issue citations, and enforce traffic regulations under a joint agreement between the city and state governments.
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Large Operations
Under the agreement, remote activation by Copom will ensure continuous recording during major operations and police raids in vulnerable communities. Additionally, specific criteria will guide the distribution of the new camera equipment, with priority given to battalions that exhibit the highest rates of police lethality.
New Bidding
After Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) questioned the future use of body cameras, the São Paulo government proceeded with a bidding process in June for the purchase of 12,000 new units. Motorola won the bid. The process drew criticism for altering the activation system: under the new model, officers must manually turn on the cameras, unlike the current system, which records continuously.
Criticism
Human rights organizations and the Public Defender’s Office raised concerns that allowing manual activation may enable officers to conceal illegal conduct. Minister Barroso is the rapporteur of a pending lawsuit at the Supreme Court related to this issue. Last year, he mandated the use of body cameras by São Paulo’s Military Police during large-scale operations, especially those involving raids in vulnerable communities or responses to attacks on officers.
GCM Inspecting Vehicles
Agents of the Metropolitan Civil Guard (GCM) in São Paulo will now be authorized to inspect vehicles on city streets. The new responsibilities follow an agreement between the city’s Municipal Department of Urban Security and the State Department of Traffic (Detran). GCM agents are now empowered to conduct traffic inspections, issue citations, and take administrative action in cases of violations under the Brazilian Traffic Code (CTB).
Agreement
The agreement also fosters collaboration between the state and municipal governments in developing educational campaigns and initiatives to reduce traffic-related accidents and fatalities. It strengthens the GCM’s capacity to combat “pancadões”—outdoor funk parties that frequently disrupt public spaces—and to prevent unsafe vehicles from remaining in circulation, thereby improving road safety in the city.
Analysis:
The agreement approved by Supreme Court President Luís Roberto Barroso marks a pivotal shift in São Paulo’s public security strategy, but it also raises significant concerns. While enabling police officers to manually activate body cameras may offer operational flexibility, it undermines one of the most critical safeguards against abuse—uninterrupted, objective monitoring. Numerous studies and past experiences in Brazil and abroad suggest that continuous recording is a key factor in deterring misconduct and ensuring accountability, especially during high-risk operations in vulnerable communities. By shifting control to the officers, the risk of selective recording—and thus potential cover-ups of unlawful actions—increases.
On the other hand, expanding the Metropolitan Civil Guard’s role in traffic enforcement could contribute positively to urban security if implemented with adequate training and oversight. Empowering GCM agents to inspect vehicles, issue citations, and tackle illegal street events like “pancadões” addresses quality-of-life issues often overlooked in traditional policing. However, without safeguards, this expanded role risks mission drift and potential rights violations, especially in lower-income areas.