HB 5970 Summary

• Law enforcement officers who carry firearms or electro-muscular disruption devices and wear uniforms must wear body-worn cameras and continuously record while on duty, with exceptions for personal matters and non-exigent residential entries.

• Recordings must be retained for 2 weeks minimum, or 3 years if they involve use of force, arrests, detentions, complaints against officers, or retention requests.

• Officers must sign consent waivers acknowledging body-worn camera requirements, notify individuals being recorded when practicable, and ask residents during non-emergency home entries whether they want recording stopped.

• Facial recognition technology is prohibited on body-worn cameras or their recordings unless authorized by a court warrant.

• Law enforcement agencies must provide copies of recordings to subjects and authorized representatives upon request, and the department of state police must reimburse local and county agencies for reasonable equipment and implementation costs.