SB 493 - This act establishes the "Fourth Amendment Affirmation Act" which provides that when an officer stops a driver of a motor vehicle he or she is required to report whether the driver resides in the jurisdiction of the stop and, in the event a search was conducted, the officer shall document how the driver's consent was documented. The act additionally provides specific, though non-exhaustive, examples of what qualifies as a reason for a stop. The act provides that the Attorney General may allow the Department of Public Safety to extract data from reports filed by law enforcement agencies relating to motor vehicle stops. The act also modifies the information required to be included in the AG's annual report to law enforcement agencies.
The act requires each law enforcement agency to adopt a policy on discriminatory policing, as well as a policy eliminating discriminatory policing in the administration of consent searches, and it provides what such policy shall accomplish. The act provides a process for review and potential penalties imposed by the AG if a law enforcement agency reports a significant disproportion, as defined in the act, for three consecutive years.
The act provides procedures that shall be followed in the event of a motor vehicle stop solely for a traffic violation.
The act allows any law enforcement agency to purchase body cameras with federal funds.
CHARLEY MERRIWEATHER