Section 626.9517 Grant Program for Installation of Video Cameras in Police Vehicles

626.9517 GRANT PROGRAM FOR INSTALLATION OF VIDEO CAMERAS IN POLICE VEHICLES.

Subdivision 1.Grants; cameras described.

The commissioner of public safety shall make grants to law enforcement agencies participating in the racial profiling study described in section 626.951 for the purchase, installation, and maintenance of video cameras on police vehicles designed to record traffic stops. A video camera installed pursuant to a grant under this section must:

(1) be automatically activated during every traffic stop;

(2) contain an audio feature; and

(3) be designed and installed so as to record the stop in its entirety.

Cameras may not be equipped with manual shutoff switches and must be activated for the entirety of a traffic stop.

Subd. 2.Storage of video.

Notwithstanding section 138.163 or 138.17, chief law enforcement officers of agencies receiving grants under this section for video cameras in police vehicles shall ensure that the videotape or disk from the camera be stored for a minimum of 60 days after use. If the chief law enforcement officer has not been instructed by the board or the attorney general to maintain the tape or disk beyond that period, the chief law enforcement officer may reuse it. Tapes and disks must be stored and maintained under this subdivision in an accessible manner. The tapes and disks must be clearly labeled and ordered.

Subd. 3.Availability of videotape.

A chief law enforcement officer shall provide a copy of a videotape or disk that recorded a traffic stop to the driver of the stopped vehicle upon the driver's request and at the driver's expense if the tape or disk has not yet been reused.

History:

1Sp2001 c 8 art 7 s 9