Hesse wants tougher penalties for attacks on first responders: what video evidence and officer safety mean
On November 5, 2026, the Interior Affairs Committee of Germany’s Bundesrat discussed amendments from the state of Hesse calling for tougher penalties for attacks on first responders. At the same time, the need for documentation that holds up in court is growing: body cams for municipal police, recordings in service vehicles under Section 32 BPolG and in-vehicle video for officer safety are meant to provide evidence of attacks and deter them.
What Hesse called for on November 5, 2026
The German federal government has submitted to the Bundesrat, the chamber representing the 16 states, a draft Act to Strengthen the Criminal-Law Protection of the Community. According to the Hessian state government, the background is the sharp rise in violence against first responders.
According to a press release from the Hessian Ministry of the Interior dated November 5, 2026, registered acts of violence against police officers reached a new high of 46,367 cases in 2024, based on the national situation report of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). For Hesse, the ministry cites 5,507 cases of attacks on first responders, also a record. The BKA counts cases here; in total, 106,875 police officers were affected in 2024.
Violence against first responders: figures and background →
Among other things, the federal draft would raise the maximum penalty for resisting enforcement officers to five years in prison and introduce a minimum sentence of six months for physical assaults. An ambush would also count as an especially serious case in the future.
Hesse says this does not go far enough. Interior Minister Roman Poseck submitted four amendments to the Bundesrat’s Interior Affairs Committee, which discussed them on November 5. Justice Minister Christian Heinz submitted the amendments to the Legal Affairs Committee. The demands include:
- Anyone who takes part in violence against first responders from within a crowd should, as a rule, be punished for an especially serious breach of the peace, with six months to ten years in prison.
- Police officers should receive special protection off duty as well, for example when attacked in revenge for an earlier official act.
- A minimum sentence of one year should apply to especially serious cases of resistance, typically when offenders carry a weapon or act jointly.
In closing, Poseck and Heinz said first responders could count on the state government’s backing.
Why documentation and video evidence are part of the picture
Tougher penalties only work if offenses can be proven. In attacks from within a crowd, in property damage or in confrontations right at or inside a vehicle, what matters is what video and audio can show. Three recent developments show where practice is heading.
Body cams for Kassel’s municipal police
The city of Kassel is investing about €100,000 in body cams and new irritant sprays for its municipal police (nh24, October 30, 2026). The cameras are meant to defuse conflicts and deter attacks. According to the city, the latest amendment to Hesse’s Public Safety and Order Act expressly allows body cams for municipal and city police forces as well. Officers record only when a specific situation calls for it and after a verbal announcement; a pre-recording function keeps short sequences in a loop. Recordings not needed as evidence are deleted automatically once the statutory period ends.
Body cam footage as evidence in court
In the murder trial over a fatal shooting in Nienburg, body cam footage recorded by a police officer was shown at the Verden Regional Court (WELT/dpa, November 3, 2026). She had switched on the camera at the scene. The footage shows what happened there and the situation immediately after the shots. The case shows how body-worn cameras make events traceable for investigators and courts.
Recording in service vehicles under Section 32 BPolG
Since October 28, 2026, Germany’s modernized Federal Police Act has allowed body cam recordings in Federal Police service vehicles under the same conditions. Subsection 5 makes clear that devices recording the driver’s view from inside the vehicle, in other words dashcams, are included. The DPolG federal police union expressly welcomes the change, pointing among other things to the use of evidence in court, and calls the dashcam a clear safety gain for officers on duty (October 27, 2026). Section 32 BPolG applies to the Federal Police; state police forces and municipal services remain subject to their own state laws.
Federal Police Act permits dashcams in service vehicles →
Officer safety in the emergency vehicle
The vehicle is often where stops, arrests and transports begin or end. A body-worn camera does not always cover the same area as a system permanently installed in the vehicle. For procurement teams and vehicle outfitters, that means event-based recording, clear retention and deletion rules and an evidence chain that can be reviewed are core requirements, whichever manufacturer is chosen.
Travido develops and builds in-vehicle video systems for officer safety in emergency vehicles in Braunschweig, Germany. The Travido 625 records on events using a ring buffer and signs every video segment automatically following BSI recommendation TR-02102-1. Review runs entirely inside the agency with traVES, without the internet. Travido is not a contractor for the legislative initiatives or procurements mentioned here; the link is professional: criminal-law protection and technical documentation work hand in hand in practice.
See the Travido 625 platform →
traVES: evidence review without the internet →
What procurement teams and agencies should check now
- whether state or municipal law already clearly covers body cams and in-vehicle recording, or whether an update is pending
- whether retention periods, notice requirements and pre-recording fit their own data protection concept and procedure documentation
- whether review should stay inside their own agency and how exports are logged
- whether vehicle camera, body cam and other sensors together provide documentation with as few gaps as possible
This is not legal advice. Agencies should clarify individual cases with their data protection officers and legal departments.
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Frequently asked questions
What did Hesse call for on November 5, 2026?
Tougher penalties for attacks on first responders. The amendments cover, among other things, breach of the peace from within a crowd, protection of police officers off duty and a one-year minimum sentence for especially serious cases of resistance. The Bundesrat’s Interior Affairs Committee discussed them on November 5, 2026 (hessen.de).
How many acts of violence against police officers were there in 2024?
According to the Hessian state government (November 5, 2026), registered acts of violence against police officers in Germany reached 46,367 cases in 2024, a record. For Hesse, it cites 5,507 cases of attacks on first responders.
May municipal police in Hesse use body cams?
Yes. According to the city of Kassel, the latest amendment to Hesse’s Public Safety and Order Act expressly allows body cams for municipal and city police forces as well (nh24, October 30, 2026).
What does Section 32 BPolG say about service vehicles?
Since October 28, 2026, Federal Police body cams may also record in service vehicles under the statutory conditions. Under subsection 5, devices that record the driver’s view from inside the vehicle are included. This applies to the Federal Police, not automatically to state police forces.
Does technology replace tougher penalties?
No. Tougher penalties and documentation that holds up in court work together: without proof, even a stricter law has no effect, and without clear consequences there is no deterrent.
Sources
nh24: Kassel municipal police gets body cams, October 30, 2026 (German)
WELT (dpa): Murder trial – body cam recorded the moments after the shots, November 3, 2026 (German)
Section 32 BPolG, mobile video and audio recording devices, gesetze-im-internet.de (German)
This article summarizes press releases, media reports and the legal situation in general terms and is not legal advice for any specific case.
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