Arizona Outlaws Recording Within 8 Feet of Police

pcmag.com:

Arizona has outlawed recording police within an eight-foot distance.

H.B. 2319(Opens in a new window), which Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law(Opens in a new window) on July 6, states that "it is unlawful for a person to knowingly make a video recording of law enforcement activity if the person knows or reasonably should know that law enforcement activity is occurring."

The bill defines "law enforcement activity" as:

Questioning a suspicious person.

Conducting an arrest, issuing a summons, or enforcing the law.

Handling an emotionally disturbed or disorderly person who is exhibiting abnormal behavior.

H.B. 2319 does say that police have to issue a verbal warning to whomever is recording the video; continuing to record would be a Class 3 misdemeanor. It also carves out some exceptions that allow recording within eight feet, but there are exceptions to those exceptions, too. See:

"If the law enforcement activity is occurring in an enclosed structure that is on private property, a person who is authorized to be on the private property may make a video recording of the activity from an adjacent room or area that is less than eight feet away from where the activity is occurring, unless a law enforcement officer determines that the person is interfering in the law enforcement activity or that it is not safe to be in the area and orders the person to leave the area."

The bill also says that "a person who is the subject of police contact may record the encounter"—but only if "the person is not interfering with lawful police actions, including searching, handcuffing, or administering a field sobriety test."

The other exception, that "the occupants of a vehicle that is the subject of a police stop may record the encounter,"