Press Releases

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) issued the following statement today after newly-appointed U.S. Park Police (USPP) Chief Pamela Smith announced that the U.S. Park Police would prioritize “implementing a body-worn camera program within [her] first 90 days:”

“I want to welcome Chief Smith, and thank her for announcing that the U.S. Park Police will finally adopt body-warn cameras. This long overdue step will improve trust among the communities that Park Police officers patrol.

“The swiftness with which this change was made after over three years of advocacy following the killing of Bijan Ghaisar suggests that it could have happened much sooner. Why did years of struggle by the Ghaisars, community activists, Congresswoman Norton and myself, Senators from both parties, the Natural Resources Committee under Chairman Grijalva, and ultimately the passage of legislation in Congress not motivate the Park Police to do this sooner?

“The delay points to the importance of leadership that prioritizes reforms to improve policing. I commend Chief Smith and National Park Service leadership for finally making this happen, and I hope it heralds a larger commitment to transparency and reform for federal police. There is more still to do.”

Beyer represents the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. where the police pursuit and shooting of Bijan Ghaisar took place on the evening of November 17, 2017. He has worked with Ghaisar’s family in the years since to seek answers about the incident from the federal agencies involved.

In the wake of Ghaisar’s killing, Beyer worked with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) to draft legislation requiring all federal officers to adopt body-worn cameras. That legislation is included in the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act, which is schedule to receive a vote in the House next week.