Bill Text: NY A05343 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Requires law enforcement agencies to store physical or other evidence it maintains within fireproof containers or within a fireproof storage area; requires law enforcement agencies to document and photograph evidence before it is stored in a fireproof container or storage area; requires that such documents and photographs be stored in a different location.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to ways and means [A05343 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A05343-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5343

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      March 7, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. L. ROSENTHAL, RAMOS, SIMON, GALLAGHER -- read
          once and referred to the Committee on Codes

        AN ACT to amend the  executive  law,  in  relation  to  the  storage  of
          evidence by law enforcement agencies

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section  837-x
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  837-x.  Law  enforcement  agencies;  storage  of  evidence.  1. For
     4  purposes of this section, "law enforcement agency" means a police agency
     5  or department of the state or any political subdivision thereof, includ-
     6  ing authorities or agencies maintaining  police  forces  of  individuals
     7  defined  as  police  officers  in section 1.20 of the criminal procedure
     8  law, or a sheriff's department.
     9    2. Every law enforcement agency shall be required to keep all physical
    10  or other evidence it maintains within a fireproof container or within  a
    11  fireproof  storage area. Such container or storage area shall be located
    12  within a state-of-the-art facility utilizing modern and  advanced  tech-
    13  nology.
    14    3.  Prior  to  the storage of evidence within a fireproof container or
    15  storage area as required pursuant to subdivision two  of  this  section,
    16  every  law  enforcement agency shall be required to photograph and docu-
    17  ment such evidence and to store such photographs and documentation in  a
    18  separate  location  which  is  different  from the location in which the
    19  evidence is being stored in a fireproof container or storage area.
    20    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.


         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09874-01-3