Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed legislation requiring all New York State Police officers to wear body cameras while on patrol (S.8493/A.8674); and creating the Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office (S.3595-C/A.10002).
“The relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve isn’t working,” Governor Cuomo said. “New York is the progressive capital of the nation, and we are leading the way by enacting real reforms to increase transparency in policing, promote accountability among our law enforcement agencies and ultimately mend that frayed relationship between the police and the community.”
Requiring Use of Body Cameras (S.8493/A.8674)
This new law requires all New York State Police patrol officers to use body-worn cameras while on patrol to record immediately before an officer exits a patrol vehicle to interact with a person or situation; all uses of force; all arrests and summonses; all interactions with individuals suspected of criminal activity; all searches of persons and property; any call to a crime in progress; investigative actions involving interactions with members of the public; any interaction with an emotionally disturbed person; and any instances where an officer feels any imminent danger or the need to document their time on duty. The law also requires law enforcement to keep video records of all these interactions.
