New Ohio Bill Penalizes Cops for Deleting Recordings
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new Ohio senate bill is being introduced this week that would prohibit police officers from interfering with people who record them.
The new bill, SB 174, confirms the right of Ohioans to record law enforcement officers, provided they record without obstructing police from performing their duties.
As the bill is currently written, police who take or delete photographs, video, or other recordings without a court order will be forced to pay $500 per recording and cover the cost of any damaged equipment.
Sen. Charleta Tavares (D-Columbus) is sponsoring the bill, and says she’s modeled it after legislation recently passed in Colorado with bipartisan support. To date, however, no Republicans in the Ohio legislature have co-sponsored SB 174.
