S945-2013 Actions

• Jan 9, 2013: REFERRED TO CITIES

S945-2013 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S945

TITLE OF BILL:
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"

PURPOSE:
The purpose of the registry is to give the NYPD an inventory of all
private security cameras looking upon public spaces in the city. The
NYPD will not have automotive or immediate access to the video
produced from the cameras, except as a result of the case-by-case
arrangements that are sometimes made by individual camera owners. If
there is a crime in the vicinity of one or more of the cameras, the
NYPD will be able to access the registry for the location and
owner/operator of the camera. If the NYPD wishes to access the video
produced by any of the cameras, it will have to follow the normal
procedure of obtaining consent or a subpoena for the footage.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 � 2. Legislative intent. Creating the Security Camera
Registry will strengthen the NYPD's ability to pursue the
perpetrators of crimes by enhancing its ability to collect video
evidence, ensuring this evidence is collected thoroughly and quickly,
and thereby shortening the time needed to bring criminal
investigations to a successful conclusion.
The database will be beneficial both during such criminal
investigations and also in order to enhance NYPD internal
investigations as well.

� 3. Amends the administrative code by adding a new section 14-154:

Security Camera Registry.

A) The New York Police Department shall create and maintain an online
registry and database of all privately-owned and operated security
cameras within the city of New York.

B) New security camera installations will be registered with the
department's only registry and database.

C) Security cameras installed prior to the enactment of this section
shall register with the department's registry.

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 obtain a subpoena for production of such video.

E) The security camera registry and database will be used solely for
law enforcement purposes.

� 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

JUSTIFICATION:
Currently, the NYPD collects information on the location of security


cameras manually, by means of periodic surveys conducted by patrol
officers. These surveys, because they are periodic, do not capture
the locations of newly-installed cameras in a timely manner, and
because they rely on personal observations by officers throughout the
city, are bound to be incomplete. Criminal investigations and also in
order to enhance NYPD internal investigations as well. The registry
will only alert the police to the existence of cameras that observe
persons in public places. Nothing in this proposed legislation will
impinge upon the civil liberties of the people of New York City.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New Bill.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: Minimal.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

S945-2013 Text

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

                                     945

                         2013-2014 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                                 (PREFILED)

                               January 9, 2013
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by  Sens. RIVERA, ADAMS, DILAN, ESPAILLAT, HASSELL-THOMPSON,
    STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and  when  printed  to  be
    committed to the Committee on Cities

  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
  in public places. Nothing in this  legislation  will  impinge  upon  the
  civil liberties of the people of the city of New York.

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD01324-01-3

 S. 945                              2

    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.