Senate Bill S5574A

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                 5574--A

                       2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                              June 3, 2011
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sens. RIVERA, ADAMS, DILAN, ESPAILLAT, HASSELL-THOMPSON,
  OPPENHEIMER, STAVISKY -- read twice  and  ordered  printed,  and  when
  printed  to  be committed to the Committee on Cities -- recommitted to
  the Committee on Cities in accordance with Senate Rule 6,  sec.  8  --
  committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
  recommitted to said committee

AN ACT to amend the administrative code of the  city  of  New  York,  in
  relation  to  enactment  of the "safe streets security camera registry
  act"

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  Short  title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
the "safe streets security camera registry act".
  S 2. Legislative intent. Currently, the police department of the  city
of  New  York  collects  information  on the location of privately-owned
security cameras manually, by means of  periodic  surveys  conducted  by
patrol  officers. Such surveys do not capture the locations of newly-in-
stalled privately-owned security cameras in a timely and complete manner
due to their periodic nature and reliance on  personal  observations  by
officers. It is the intent of the legislature that the police department
create  an online security camera registry and database for all private-
ly-owned and operated security cameras within the city of New York  with
fields of observation that look upon and capture video of public spaces,
such  as  sidewalks,  as  well  as lobbies, courtyards and vestibules of
apartment  buildings.  Creating  the  security  camera   registry   will
strengthen  the department's ability to pursue perpetrators of crimes by
enhancing its ability to collect video  evidence  in  a  timely  manner,
thereby shortening the time needed to bring criminal investigations to a
successful  conclusion.  The  registry will only alert the department to
the existence of privately-owned security cameras that  observe  persons

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD11696-03-2

              

S. 5574--A                          2

in  public  places.  Nothing  in  this legislation will impinge upon the
civil liberties of the people of the city of New York.
  S  3.  The  administrative  code of the city of New York is amended by
adding a new section 14-154 to read as follows:
  S 14-154 SECURITY CAMERA REGISTRY. A. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL CREATE  AND
MAINTAIN  AN  ONLINE  REGISTRY  AND  DATABASE OF ALL PRIVATELY-OWNED AND
OPERATED SECURITY CAMERAS WITHIN THE CITY OF NEW  YORK  WITH  FIELDS  OF
OBSERVATION  THAT  LOOK UPON AND CAPTURE VIDEO OF PUBLIC SPACES, SUCH AS
SIDEWALKS, AS WELL AS LOBBIES, COURTYARDS AND  VESTIBULES  OF  APARTMENT
BUILDINGS.
  B.  ANY  INDIVIDUAL,  COMPANY  OR ENTITY WHICH INSTALLS A NEW SECURITY
CAMERA AFTER THE ENACTMENT OF THIS SECTION  SHALL,  WITHIN  THIRTY  DAYS
AFTER  INSTALLATION  OF SUCH CAMERA, REGISTER THE LOCATION OF THE CAMERA
AND THE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE OWNER OF THE CAMERA  AND  INCLUDE  A
BRIEF  DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEW THE CAMERA CAPTURES WITH THE REGISTRY AND
DATABASE CREATED AND MAINTAINED BY THE  DEPARTMENT.  THE  OWNER  OF  THE
CAMERA  SHALL  REGISTER SUCH INFORMATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT THROUGH THE
DEPARTMENT'S ONLINE REGISTRY.
  C. THE OWNER OF A SECURITY CAMERA WHICH HAS BEEN  INSTALLED  PRIOR  TO
THE ENACTMENT OF THIS SECTION SHALL HAVE NINETY DAYS AFTER THE ENACTMENT
OF  THIS  SECTION TO REGISTER THE LOCATION OF THE CAMERA AND THE CONTACT
INFORMATION FOR THE OWNER OF THE CAMERA WITH THE  DEPARTMENT'S  REGISTRY
AND  INCLUDE  A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEW THE CAMERA CAPTURES AS SET
FORTH IN SUBDIVISION B OF THIS SECTION.
  D.  IN THE EVENT THAT A CRIME OCCURS WITHIN THE VICINITY OF A SECURITY
CAMERA REGISTERED WITH THE DEPARTMENT'S DATABASE, THE  DEPARTMENT  SHALL
OBTAIN  THE  CONSENT OF THE CAMERA OWNER TO VIEW ANY FOOTAGE RECORDED OR
OTHERWISE OBTAIN A SUBPOENA FOR PRODUCTION OF SUCH VIDEO.
  E. THE SECURITY CAMERA REGISTRY AND DATABASE SHALL BE USED SOLELY  FOR
LAW  ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES. ANY DATA, RECORDS, PHOTOS, VIDEOS OR INFORMA-
TION COLLECTED FOR SUCH CAMERA REGISTRY SHALL  NOT  BE  SUBJECT  TO  THE
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAW PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWO OF SECTION EIGHT-
Y-NINE OF THE PUBLIC OFFICERS LAW.
  S 4. This act shall take effect immediately.