County probation officers can now wear body cameras. Eight senators voted no on the final roll call

County probation and parole officers in Pennsylvania can now be equipped with body-worn cameras. Gov. Josh Shapiro signed House Bill 2299 on Oct. 22 as Act 81 of 2026, according to the bill's history, after WKBN reported that the bill was headed to his desk.

State parole agents and police could already use body cameras under the state's wiretap law, but county probation officers were not named in it, Erie News Now reported. The bill adds them to the law's definition of a law enforcement officer, according to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

For people on county probation or parole, and for the officers who check on them, this means supervision meetings may now be recorded.

Why it came up

The push followed a fatal shooting in Erie the previous July during a compliance check by a state parole officer who was not wearing a camera, although state parole officers are allowed to, Erie News Now reported in June. The sponsor, Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, an Erie County Democrat, said the bill would ensure "accurate records of meetings between probation officers and parolees," according to his June news release.

Sen. Lisa Baker, the Republican who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said county officers "face many of the same risks" as other officers, according to the committee's release.

The ACLU of Pennsylvania opposed the bill. On its bill page, the group said supervision meetings often take place in private settings, raising "significant privacy concerns," and that the cameras could record meetings with children as young as 10.

What the records add

Sponsors. All 13 co-sponsors listed on the bill page are House Democrats.

The House vote. The House passed the bill 195-7 on June 17. All 100 Republicans voted yes. The seven no votes were Democratic Reps. Aerion Abney, Danilo Burgos, Andre Carroll, Rick Krajewski, Christopher Rabb, Greg Scott and Ben Waxman.

Four months in the Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved it 12-2 on June 30, with Democratic Sens. Art Haywood and Nikil Saval voting no. The bill then waited until Sept. 28 for its next step, and the Senate Appropriations Committee sent it out 20-2 on Oct. 20, with Haywood and Sen. Sharif Street voting no.

A vote taken twice. On Oct. 21, the Senate passed the bill 43-7, then reconsidered the vote and passed it again 42-8. All 27 Republicans voted yes both times. The eight Democratic no votes on the final tally were Sens. Art Haywood, Timothy Kearney, Katie Muth, Nikil Saval, Sharif Street, Christine Tartaglione, Anthony Williams and Lindsey Williams. Kearney voted yes the first time and no the second. The records don't say why the vote was reconsidered.

What happens next

The law lets county probation departments use cameras. It doesn't require them to, according to the descriptions from the sponsor and the Senate committee. Counties that choose to equip officers will set their own policies. The ACLU noted that county probation officers are not supervised by a state agency, which it said would make standard practices hard to set.

Act 81 was one of 58 bills Shapiro signed on Oct. 22. See our roundup for others.