What's happening
This bill requires owners of security cameras in New York City to register cameras that record public spaces in an NYPD database.
Why it matters
Facilitates faster criminal investigations. By creating a centralized, up-to-date registry of cameras that film public spaces, the NYPD can quickly identify potential sources of video evidence near crime scenes, reducing delays that result from manual surveys and incomplete information.
Impacts privacy and property owners' obligations. Private individuals and businesses with cameras facing public areas must now proactively register their devices, which could raise concerns about government tracking, compliance burdens, and awareness of one's participation in a law enforcement database.
Limits public access to registry data. The bill explicitly exempts the camera registry from Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests, meaning the locations and owners of registered cameras will not be available to journalists, advocacy groups, or the general public, potentially affecting transparency and oversight.
Preserves owner control over footage access. Law enforcement cannot view or obtain footage from registered cameras without owner consent or a subpoena, offering some protection for camera owners' rights and addressing potential civil liberties concerns.
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Who cares
New York City Police Department
The department would have to create and maintain an online registry of private security cameras covering public spaces and apartment building lobbies, courtyards and vestibules.
Private security camera owners
Owners of covered cameras would have to register camera locations, owner contact information and descriptions of camera views within 30 days of new installations or 90 days after the law takes effect for existing cameras.
Apartment building owners and managers
Privately owned cameras covering building lobbies, courtyards and vestibules would fall within the registry’s scope.
Civil liberties and government transparency advocates
Police would need owner consent or a subpoena to obtain footage, while registry information would be restricted to law enforcement use and exempt from the Freedom of Information Law.
Headline styles
Create Camera Registry NYC
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to cities
- Committee discharged and committed to cities
- Referred to children and families
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1084
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 6, 2017
Introduced by Sens. RIVERA, 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 Assembly, 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".
§ 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-installed 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 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. 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.
§ 3. The administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 14-164 to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02084-01-7
S. 1084 2
§ 14-164 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 effective date 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 effective date of this section shall have ninety days after the effective date 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 information collected for such camera registry shall not be subject to the freedom of information law pursuant to subdivision two of section eighty-nine of the public officers law.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
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 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.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.