Bill That Limits Law Enforcement's Use of Cameras Gets Attention This Week in Colorado
- Anne Boswell Taylor
- a few seconds ago
- 2 min read
~Anne Boswell
A Colorado Senator has sponsored a bill that would limit how police and deputies use surveillance. Senator Linda Zamora Wilson's bill, Senate Bill 26-071 establishes the "Surveillance Accountability and Freedom Ensured (SAFE) Act" (SAFE Act).
If passed and signed into law, after July 1st of next year, 2027, it would require an agency to use technology like cameras and drones only for public safety and on-going investigations.
Should law enforcement use surveillance to collect data, they have to comply with requirements in relation to collecting the information, and sharing as well as getting rid of it when no longer needed.
According to the bill's summary text:
The law enforcement agency must ensure that:
Facial recognition systems are only used after a warrant is obtained or in exigent circumstances when there is an imminent threat to public safety;
Traffic cameras and automated license plate readers must only be used in public spaces and for specific enforcement purposes, such as traffic violations or identifying stolen vehicles; and
Drone cameras are operated in compliance with federal aviation administration regulations.
There would also be a time limit on how long law enforcement can hold onto the information/data they collect and they cannot sell the data they get. The agency would be able to share the data though with another law enforcement agency if it was part of an active investigation.
Violating any of the above would mean civil penalties for the agency involved. The legislation also would require an agency to make certain information available for request if it complies with the SAFE Act and there wouldn't be a cost to acquire it.
The safety check in place would be a requirement of the state attorney general to do an audit of a law enforcement agency every two years for enforcement.
The bill has been introduced on its first reading and will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee for discussion and testimony on Monday at 1:30.
You can listen in live at that time at this link:
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