south dakota capitol

South Dakota Lawmakers Decline to Pass Legislation Regulating Police Body Cameras

The state is only one of a few not to have a statewide law regulating how police body camera footage is maintained and released to the public.

Lawmakers in South Dakota defeated legislation last week that would have regulated the use of police body cameras and how footage is released to the public.

The original bill filed by state Sen. Reynold Nesiba, a Democrat, regulated when the cameras could be turned on or off, how footage should be maintained and if it should be considered a public record, according to The Argus Leader. The newspaper published an investigation last year into the 44 police shootings that have taken place in South Dakota since 2001 that prompted the drafting of the legislation.

When the legislation went through the committee process, legislators decided to replace the text of the bill with language that would have created a legislative committee to study police body camera usage before next year’s session, The Argus Leader reported.

But, on Wednesday, the Senate State Affairs Committee defeated the new bill because senators did not want the bill to prioritize the study of police body cameras over other topics, such as drug epidemics ravaging the state. Body cameras can still be considered as an “interim study topic” instead of being part of an established committee.

Law enforcement groups were against the bill, arguing that police departments were already using best practices for their cameras and that any broad policy could negatively affect smaller departments. The South Dakota Newspaper Association was the only organization supporting the bill, according to the Argus Leader.

As the Argus Leader points out, South Dakota is one of only a few states, including Colorado and New Mexico, without a state law regulating how footage is released and when cameras should be on and off. Each individual agency determines whether or not to release body cam footage in specific cases.

Karl Kegeris, the police chief in Rapid City, told the newspaper that the legislature should focus on other issues, noting that local oversight measures are in place for his department.

“We are not going to run rogue with our body camera program because if we do it once, the entire value of that program is diminished," Jegeris said. "We have a lot of problems without solutions. This appears to be a solution for something that is not a problem."

For more information on public disclosure policies for police departments across the U.S., the Reporters Committee For Freedom of the Press maintains a database on body camera footage policies for each state.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • The Impact of Convergence Between IT and Physical Security

    For years, the worlds of physical security and information technology (IT) remained separate. While they shared common goals and interests, they often worked in silos. Read Now

  • Unlocking Trustworthy AI: Building Transparency in Security Governance

    In situations where AI supports important security tasks like leading investigations and detecting threats and anomalies, transparency is essential. When an incident occurs, investigators must trace the logic behind each automated response to confirm its validity or spot errors. Demanding interpretable AI turns opaque “black boxes” into accountable partners that enhance, rather than compromise, organizational defense. Read Now

  • Seeking Innovative Solutions

    Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. You may recognize these terms as the “5 Phases” of a grieving process, but they could easily describe the phases one goes through before adopting any new or emerging innovation or technology, especially in a highly risk-averse industry like security. However, the desire for convenience in all aspects of modern life is finally beginning to turn the tide from old school hardware as the go-to towards more user-friendly, yet still secure, door solutions. Read Now

  • Where AI Meets Human Judgment

    Artificial intelligence is everywhere these days. It is driving business growth, shaping consumer experiences, and showing up in places most of us never imagined just a few years ago. Read Now

  • Report: Only 44 Percent of Organizations are Fully Equipped to Support Secure AI

    Delinea recently published new research on the impact of artificial intelligence in reshaping identity security. According to the report, “AI in Identity Security Demands a New Playbook,” only 44% of organizations say their security architecture is fully equipped to support secure AI, despite widespread confidence in their current capabilities. Read Now

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • HD2055 Modular Barricade

    Delta Scientific’s electric HD2055 modular shallow foundation barricade is tested to ASTM M50/P1 with negative penetration from the vehicle upon impact. With a shallow foundation of only 24 inches, the HD2055 can be installed without worrying about buried power lines and other below grade obstructions. The modular make-up of the barrier also allows you to cover wider roadways by adding additional modules to the system. The HD2055 boasts an Emergency Fast Operation of 1.5 seconds giving the guard ample time to deploy under a high threat situation.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”