The measure — signed Wednesday by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and set to take effect in September — makes it illegal in the state to film police officers eight feet or closer without the officer’s permission. The punishment for breaking the law is a misdemeanor that will likely include a fine but not jail time. Republican state Rep. John Cavanagh, the bill’s sponsor, said a law is needed to protect police from those who “either have very poor judgment or have terrible motives. “I am pleased that a very sensible law that promotes the safety of police officers and those involved in police stops and bystanders has been signed into law,” Cavanagh said Friday. “It promotes everyone’s safety, yet still allows people to reasonably videotape police activity as is their right.” Kavanagh, who has been a police officer for 20 years, amended the legislation to apply to certain types of law enforcement actions, including questioning suspects and encounters involving mental or behavioral health issues. The law also provides exceptions for people who are the direct object of police interaction. They are allowed to film as long as they are not arrested or searched. Someone in a car stopped by the police or being questioned is also allowed to record the interaction. Representative John Kavanagh says the measure protects “police officer safety.” AP Photo/Matt York, File In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams recently blasted citizens filming NYPD officers arresting alleged offenders at close range. “Stop standing over my police officers while they’re doing their job,” Adams said in March. “This is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.” But leftists and civil rights advocates were up in arms over the law. “We are talking about people who are in a public space and a place where they have the right to be. We’re not talking about, like, someone breaking into [National Security Agency]” fumed KM Bell, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona. Mayor Eric Adams previously asked New Yorkers to stop harassing NYPD officers.William Farrington Stephen Solomon – head of the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University – told the Washington Post that a “total restriction” amounts to a “violation of the First Amendment.” “Who’s to say 8 feet is the right distance? It can under certain circumstances, but under other circumstances, no,” he told the newspaper, wondering how such a law would be applied in a situation like a mass protest. The rubber-stamping of the measures comes about a year after the U.S. Justice Department launched an investigation into police in Phoenix to determine whether officers are using excessive force and abusing homeless residents. It also comes as cellphone videos of police officers interacting with the public have been used in recent years as a tool to document police encounters and hold officers accountable for breaking the law, including the 2020 killing of George Floyd. With Post cables
