Relates to the use of body-worn cameras by New York state police officers; establishes the New York state police body-worn cameras program; requires the division of state police to provide body-worn cameras to be worn by all officers including state university police officers.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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6686--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
September 4, 2019
___________
Introduced by Sens. PARKER, COMRIE, JACKSON, KRUEGER, LIU, MONTGOMERY,
MYRIE, SALAZAR, SEPULVEDA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules -- recommitted to
the Committee on Finance in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --
committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to the use of body-worn
cameras by New York state police officers
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "New York state police body-worn cameras program".
3 § 2. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 234 to read
4 as follows:
5 § 234. New York state police body-worn cameras program. 1. There is
6 hereby created within the division of state police a New York state
7 police body-worn cameras program. The purpose of the program is to
8 increase accountability and evidence for law enforcement and the resi-
9 dents of the state by providing body-worn cameras to all state police
10 officers while on patrol, including the New York state university
11 police.
12 2. The division of state police shall provide body-worn cameras, to be
13 worn by officers at all times, while on patrol. Such cameras shall
14 record:
15 (a) immediately before an officer exits a patrol vehicle to interact
16 with a person or situation, even if there is a dash camera inside such
17 vehicle which might also be recording the interaction;
18 (b) all uses of force, including any physical aggression and use of a
19 non-lethal or lethal weapon;
20 (c) all arrests and summonses;
21 (d) all interactions with people suspected of criminal activity;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13695-02-0
S. 6686--A 2
1 (e) all searches of persons and property;
2 (f) any call to a crime in progress;
3 (g) investigative actions where there are interactions with members of
4 the public;
5 (h) any interaction with an emotionally disturbed person; and
6 (i) any instances where officers feel any imminent danger or the need
7 to document their time on duty.
8 3. The internal affairs department of the division of state police
9 shall investigate any instance where body cameras fail to record an
10 event pursuant to this section.
11 4. At the discretion of the officer, body-worn cameras may not record:
12 (a) sensitive encounters, including but not limited to speaking with a
13 confidential informant, or conducting a strip search;
14 (b) when a member of the public asks such officer to turn off the
15 camera; provided, however, such officer may continue recording if he or
16 she thinks a record of that interaction should be generated; or
17 (c) when the officer is in a courtroom or reporting to a court
18 summons.
19 5. (a) The division of state police shall preserve recordings of such
20 body-worn cameras for three years from the date of such recording and
21 perform all upkeep on equipment used in such body-worn cameras. Such
22 duties shall include:
23 (i) creating a secure record of all instances where there is recorded
24 video or audio footage;
25 (ii) ensuring officers have sufficient storage capacity on their
26 cameras to allow for the recording of interactions required by this
27 section; and
28 (iii) ensuring officers have access to body-worn cameras for the
29 recording of instances required by this section.
30 (b) Recordings shall be stored for longer than three years if the
31 video or audio footage is evidence in any existing investigation.
32 § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
33 have become a law.