Nebraska senator proposes body camera records kept secret

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Police body-camera footage would be exempt from Nebraska’s public records law under a new bill in the Legislature.

Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha introduced legislation Friday that would require law enforcement agencies to save body-worn camera recordings for at least six months, unless they become part of a criminal investigation. Those recordings would join medical records and trade secrets as records which may be kept from public disclosure.

The measure would prohibit tampering with the records or releasing them without specific agency permission.

The bill also outlines a timeline for agencies using body-worn cameras to adopt training polices and report those to Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice.