Bill Would Restrict Release Of Police Recordings
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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - Pointing to concerns about a "chilling effect" on investigations, a House Republican proposed a bill Wednesday that would prevent the release of audio or video recordings made by law-enforcement officers in many cases.
The bill, filed by Rep. David Santiago, R-Deltona, would shield from release recordings made in private residences, in hospitals or health-care facilities and at the scenes of medical emergencies. Also, it would prevent the release of recordings of minors under age 18 in schools or on school property and minors under age 14 at any location.
"The Legislature finds that it is a public necessity to exempt such information from public records requirements to protect the privacy of individuals who are inside their homes, who are within a building of a hospital or health care provider, who are involved in a medical emergency, who are minors younger than 18 years of age inside of a school or on school property, or who are minors younger than 14 years of age at any location, because the failure to protect an individual's privacy may have an undesirable, chilling effect on the willingness of the individual to cooperate with law enforcement or to make calls for the services of law enforcement officers,'' the bill says. "Protecting an individual's privacy and preventing any potential chilling effects outweighs any public benefit that may be derived from the disclosure of such information."
Lawmakers will consider the proposal during the legislative session that starts March 3.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
