People working for governments do not normally have a reasonable expectation of privacy while doing that work. They work for the public, thus what they do is open to scrutiny. Possible exceptions are attorney/client priveledge and closed door meetings, restrooms etc. Whoever started this crap was an idiot. The government works for the people not the other way around. Sometimes they need to be reminded of that simple fact.
This is obviously NOT the view of the government and it bureaucrats - armed and otherwise.