HI SB421

Establishes requirements for law enforcement officers to wear and use body-worn cameras while on duty, including activating cameras when responding to calls for service or initiating encounters with the public, with exceptions for private residences and crime victims upon request.

Requires law enforcement officers to notify individuals being recorded as soon as reasonably possible and prohibits surreptitious use, intelligence gathering related to First Amendment activities, and recording unrelated to law enforcement activities or on school grounds.

Mandates retention of body-worn camera footage for one year in non-criminal cases and the applicable criminal statute of limitations for criminal cases, with automatic three-year minimum retention for footage involving use of force, felony arrests, or registered complaints.

Prohibits law enforcement officers from reviewing footage subject to three-year retention before completing initial reports and statements, and establishes rebuttable presumptions favoring criminal defendants and civil plaintiffs when officers fail to comply with recording or retention requirements.

Appropriates state grant funds to each county for purchasing body-worn cameras on a dollar-for-dollar matching basis and requires counties to submit reports on implementation costs through 2022; takes effect January 7, 2059.