law enforcement; cameras; data storage

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is listed as the general effective date, but no specific calendar date is provided in the source material.

SB1804 - Law Enforcement Camera Footage Deletion

This bill requires law enforcement agencies to delete body-worn and dash camera footage after 30 days unless the video is needed for active legal cases or potential civil liability.

What This Bill Does

• Requires all body-worn or dash camera footage from officers to be deleted 30 days after recording.
• States that this deletion rule applies even if other laws say something different.
• Exempts footage involved in active criminal cases from the deletion requirement.
• Exempts footage needed for potential civil liability claims from being deleted.
• Exempts footage required for active criminal prosecutions from being deleted.

Who It Names or Affects

• Law enforcement officers who use body-worn or dash cameras
• Agencies that store and manage law enforcement video records

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how agencies must store footage before the 30-day deadline.
• The text does not define exactly what counts as 'active' for a case or prosecution.
• No specific date is listed in this document for when the law takes effect.

Official Summary Text

SB1804 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

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COMMITTEE

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

FACT SHEET FOR
s.b. 1804

law enforcement; cameras; data storage

Purpose

Requires all
footage captured by a law enforcement officer's body-worn or dash camera to be
deleted 30 days after the footage was first recorded, except as specified.

Background

All officers and
public bodies must maintain records to keep an accurate knowledge of their
official activities, including activities that are supported by public monies.
Public records and other matters in the custody of an officer of a public body
must be open to inspection by any person. Any entity that is subject to a
public records request must provide the name, telephone number and email address
of an employee or department that is authorized to provide the information
requested (
A.R.S. Title 39,
Chapter 1
).

A victim of a
criminal offense or a delinquent act has the right to request a copy of the
police report and transcript from the investigating law enforcement agency free
of charge (
A.R.S.
� 39-127
).

There is no
anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.

Provisions

1.

Requires all camera footage captured by a law enforcement officer's
body-worn camera or dash camera to be deleted 30 days after the camera footage
was first recorded.

2.

Specifies that the requirement to delete the camera footage is
notwithstanding any other law.

3.

Exempts,
from the deletion requirement, any camera footage that is involved in or
necessary for:

a)

active criminal cases;

b)

potential civil liability; or

c)

active
criminal prosecutions.

4.

Becomes effective on the general effective date.

Prepared by
Senate Research

February 16,
2026

KJA/SDR/hk

Current Bill Text

SB1804 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
law enforcement; cameras; data
storage

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SB 1804

Introduced by

Senator
Gowan

AN
ACT

Amending Title 38, chapter 8, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 38-1121; relating to law
enforcement officers.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 38, chapter 8, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 38-1121, to read:

START_STATUTE
38-1121.

Law enforcement officers; cameras; data storage; applicability

A. Notwithstanding any other law, All
camera footage that is captured by a law ENFORCEMENT officer's body-worn camera
or dash camera must be deleted thirty days after the camera footage was first
recorded.

B. This section does not apply to any
camera footage that is involved in or necessary for any of the following:

1. active criminal cases.

2. Potential civil liability.

3. Active criminal prosecutions.
END_STATUTE