Senate Bill S9154

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S9154

SPONSOR: CLEARE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the executive law, in relation to requiring certain
employees of the New York state department of corrections and community
supervision to wear body cameras

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To require every parole officer and employee of the New York State
Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to wear body cameras
whenever they are interacting with a parolee as well as implementing the
use of cameras in every official office and room in the department to
record said interactions.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

This bill would amend the Executive Law by adding two new subdivisions
18 and 19 to Section 259-c that would require every parole officer and
employee of the department to wear body cameras with video and audio
              

whenever they are interacting with a parolee, as well as implementing
the use of cameras in every official office and room in the department
to record said interactions.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Ensuring that parole officers wear body cameras when interacting with
parolees will result in protecting the safety, integrity and interests
of all parties. Through the affirmative act of recording parole officers
and citizen encounters, independent parties can rely upon objective
evidence of what happened instead of self-serving hearsay. It is vital
that we shine a light on all aspects of our correctional system given
the persistent allegations of abuse that have been reported by individ-
uals who have had troubling experiences with parole officers and commu-
nity supervision staff.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

None.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.