NY State Senate Bill 2025-S8435

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jun 11, 2025	referred to rules

2025-S8435 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8173
Current Committee:: Senate Rules
Law Section:: General Municipal Law
Laws Affected:: Add §54, Gen Muni L

2025-S8435 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires municipalities and other public officials to retain security recordings for a minimum of fifteen months.

2025-S8435 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8435

SPONSOR: PARKER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to retaining
certain security recordings for a minimum period of fifteen months

 
PURPOSE:

This bill will ensure that local governments that operate public securi-
ty cameras in public spaces, or that record interactions between public
officials and members of the public in connection with the operation of
a police department, fire department, ambulance or healthcare service,
retain and not overwrite recordings made by such cameras for the longer
of either fifteen months or, upon having notice of a legal claim, the
end of the litigation. It also ensures that officials responsible for
requests under the Freedom of Information Law have access to such
recordings.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one of the bill entitles this bill the Safekeeping And Access To
Video Evidence (SAVE) Act.

Section two creates a new section 54 of Article 4 of the General Munici-
pal Law. Section three provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Local governments across this state choose to operate public security
cameras that make security recordings in public areas and/or record
interactions between public officials and members of the public in
connection with the operation of a police department, fire department,
ambulance or healthcare service. Despite a drastic reduction in the cost
of storing and protecting such recordings (given, among other things,
modern digital cameras and cloud-storage capability), many local govern-
ments quickly overwrite such recordings as a matter of course or, in
some cases, deliberately delete such recordings.

Yet, these recordings can provide critical evidence to Support criminal
investigations and civil lawsuits involving victims of assaults and
accidents, and to resolve lawsuits brought by or against local govern-
ments. Indeed, clear video evidence helps resolve such disputes quickly,
reducing the need for prolonged legal battles and ensuring that justice
is served efficiently.

Retaining recordings can also provide experts and officials with data
necessary to analyze and improve crime prevention methods, traffic safe-
ty, and interactions between the public and local officials. For these
reasons, it is reasonable to require local governments to securely save
and not overwrite these recordings for a reasonable amount of time. In
civil cases, a victim generally must file a civil lawsuit against a
local government fifteen months from the date of being injured. The bill
therefore sets the minimum amount of a time a local government must
retain and not overwrite such recordings for the longer of either
fifteen months or, upon having notice of a legal claim, the end of the
litigation.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the State.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have
become a law.

2025-S8435 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8435
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               June 11, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the general municipal  law,  in  relation  to  retaining
   certain security recordings for a minimum period of fifteen months
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. This act shall be known and cited as the  "safekeeping  and
 access to video evidence (SAVE) act".
   §  2.  The general municipal law is amended by adding a new section 54
 to read as follows:
   § 54. RETENTION OF PUBLIC SECURITY RECORDINGS BY LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. 1.
 ANY LOCAL GOVERNMENT THAT OPERATES PUBLIC  SECURITY  CAMERAS  IN  PUBLIC
 SPACES  THAT  ARE  ACCESSIBLE  TO  THE GENERAL PUBLIC, INCLUDING BUT NOT
 LIMITED TO STREETS, SUBWAYS, TRANSPORTATION TERMINALS, PARKS,  STADIUMS,
 GOVERNMENT  BUILDINGS,  CONSTRUCTION SITES, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER GOVERN-
 MENT PROPERTY, SHALL RETAIN VIDEO RECORDINGS MADE BY  SUCH  CAMERAS  AND
 SHALL  NOT  ERASE  OR  OVERWRITE SUCH RECORDINGS FOR A MINIMUM PERIOD OF
 FIFTEEN MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF RECORDING.
   2. ANY LOCAL GOVERNMENT THAT, IN CONNECTION WITH THE  OPERATION  OF  A
 POLICE  DEPARTMENT,  FIRE  DEPARTMENT,  AMBULANCE OR HEALTHCARE SERVICE,
 OPERATES CAMERAS THAT RECORD INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PUBLIC  OFFICIALS  AND
 MEMBERS  OF THE PUBLIC, SHALL RETAIN SUCH VIDEO RECORDINGS AND SHALL NOT
 ERASE OR OVERWRITE SUCH RECORDINGS  FOR  A  MINIMUM  PERIOD  OF  FIFTEEN
 MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF RECORDING.
   3.  IF  A  LOCAL  GOVERNMENT  HAS NOTICE OF A LEGAL CLAIM AGAINST SUCH
 LOCAL  GOVERNMENT,  THE  LOCAL  GOVERNMENT  SHALL  RETAIN   SUCH   VIDEO
 RECORDINGS AND SHALL NOT ERASE OR OVERWRITE SUCH RECORDINGS UNTIL EITHER
 THE  END OF THE LITIGATION OR FIFTEEN MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF RECORDING,
 WHICHEVER COMES LATER.
   4. THE VIDEO RECORDINGS SHALL  BE  STORED  IN  A  SECURE  MANNER  THAT
 ENSURES  THEIR  INTEGRITY  AND  PREVENTS UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS, TAMPERING,
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11874-01-5

 S. 8435                             2
 
 OVERWRITING, OR DELETION BEFORE THE EXPIRATION OF THE TIME  PERIODS  SET
 FORTH IN THIS SECTION.
   5.  THE  VIDEO  RECORDINGS  SHALL  BE STORED IN A SHARED DRIVE THAT IS
 ACCESSIBLE TO OFFICIALS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR RESPONDING  TO  INFORMA-
 TION MADE PURSUANT TO ARTICLE SIX OF THE PUBLIC OFFICERS LAW.
   6.  NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL BE CONSTRUED TO: (A) PREVENT A MUNI-
 CIPALITY FROM RETAINING  VIDEO  RECORDINGS  FOR  A  PERIOD  LONGER  THAN
 FIFTEEN MONTHS OR FOR ANY PURPOSE; (B) REQUIRE A MUNICIPALITY TO OPERATE
 SECURITY CAMERAS OR MAKE VIDEO RECORDINGS IN CONNECTION WITH ANY GOVERN-
 MENT  OPERATION;  OR (C) REQUIRE, ALLOW, OR PREVENT PUBLIC ACCESS TO ANY
 RECORDING IN CONTRADICTION OF ANY CURRENT LAW,  RULE  OR  REGULATION  OR
 COURT ORDER.
   7.  THIS SECTION SHALL NOT APPLY TO ANY RECORDING THAT IS ORDERED BY A
 COURT TO BE DELETED, DESTROYED, OR REDACTED.
   8. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "LOCAL GOVERNMENT" MEANS ANY  COUNTY,
 CITY,  TOWN,  VILLAGE, SCHOOL DISTRICT, BOARD OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL
 SERVICES, LOCAL PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION  OR  OTHER  MUNICIPAL  CORPO-
 RATION  OR  POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THE STATE, OR OF SUCH LOCAL GOVERN-
 MENT, INCLUDING ANY PUBLIC AUTHORITY OPERATED IN WHOLE OR IN PART  BY  A
 LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WITHIN THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
   §  3.  This  act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
 have become a law.

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Senate Bill S8435

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

2025-S8435 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S8435 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S8435 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S8435 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S8435

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Kevin S. Parker

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

2025-S8435 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S8435 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S8435 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S8435 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments