Police body camera bill to be introduced to Arizona Senate
Jan 12, 2015, 10:23 AM | Updated: 6:00 pm
PHOENIX — As a growing number of Arizona law enforcement agencies implement the use of body cameras, state lawmakers have become increasingly concerned with privacy rights violations.
Republican State Sen. John Kavanagh is drafting a bill limiting police body camera recording to criminal cases and use-of-force situations “so that only necessary interactions and conversations are recorded and saved.”
The former state representative turned state senator said police officers and citizens alike should not have to worry about their personal lives being made public by the use of body cameras.
“This bill is going to make certain things off-limits because we have to weigh personal privacy rights against the public’s need to know and, a lot of times, there is no need to know. It’s just titillation and not necessary to be released,” Kavanagh said.
The senator plans to introduce the bill to a state Senate committee within the next two weeks. He said limiting police body camera recordings should be a bipartisan issue.
“The privacy of citizens and crime victims and police officers is everybody’s concern and I don’t think anyone wants to step on toes,” he said.
