SB695 - Virginia Crime Commission; surveillance technology, report.

3 Co-Sponsors

Virginia Crime Commission; surveillance technology; report. Adds to the powers and duties of the Virginia Crime Commission (the Commission) the power to conduct an annual study on surveillance technology, defined in the bill, utilized by local and state law-enforcement agencies throughout the Commonwealth, including (i) the technology's potential impact on privacy rights and civil liberties, with particular attention to potential disparate impacts on different communities and populations; (ii) the technology's effectiveness for law or regulatory enforcement purposes, and the likelihood that evidence collected through such technology will be considered inadmissible in a court of competent jurisdiction; (iii) the potential for the misuse of the technology or any data that is collected through the use of such technology and safeguards to prevent such misuse; (iv) existing laws and regulations governing the technology and whether additional legislation is necessary to regulate its use; and (v) any recommendation as to whether technology utilized by a locality should be implemented throughout the Commonwealth. The bill provides that the Commission shall submit a report of its findings to the Chairmen of the House Committee for Courts of Justice, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and the Governor within six months of beginning the study and shall make such report available to the public on the website of the Commission.