TITLE VII SHERIFFS, CONSTABLES, AND POLICE OFFICERS
CHAPTER 105-D BODY-WORN CAMERAS
Section 105-D:1
105-D:1 Definitions. –
In this chapter:
I. "Body-worn camera" or "BWC" means an electronic camera system for creating, generating, sending, receiving, storing, displaying, and processing audiovisual recordings that may be worn about the person of a law enforcement officer.
II. "Community caretaking function" means a task undertaken by a law enforcement officer in which the officer is performing an articulable act unrelated to the investigation of a crime. It includes, but is not limited to, participating in town halls or other community outreach, helping a child find his or her parents, providing death notifications, dealing with individuals asking for directions or other assistance, and performing in-home or hospital well-being checks on the sick, elderly, or persons presumed missing.
III. "In uniform" means a law enforcement officer who is wearing any officially authorized uniform designated by a law enforcement agency, or a law enforcement officer who is visibly wearing articles of clothing, a badge, tactical gear, gun belt, a patch, or other insignia that he or she is a law enforcement officer acting in the course of his or her duties.
IV. "Law enforcement officer" or "officer" means any person employed by a law enforcement agency.
V. "Law enforcement agency" or "agency" means a state, county, municipality, special district, security service or police of the community college system of New Hampshire and the university system of New Hampshire, security service of the legislative or judicial branch, unit of local government police department or any other entity authorized by law to employ law enforcement officers or exercise police authority.
VI. "Law enforcement-related encounters or activities" include, but are not limited to, traffic stops, pedestrian stops, arrests, searches, interrogations, investigations, pursuits, crowd control, traffic control, non-community caretaking interactions with an individual while on patrol, or any other instance in which the officer is enforcing the laws of the municipality, county, or state. The term does not include:
(a) Activities when the officer is completing paperwork alone or is in the presence of another law enforcement officer or officers; or
(b) Community caretaking functions.
VII. "Recording" means the process of capturing data or information stored on a recording medium.
VIII. "Recording medium" means any recording medium for the retention and playback of recorded audio and video including, but not limited to, VHS, DVD, hard drive, cloud storage, solid state, digital, flash memory technology, or any other electronic medium.
IX. "Subject of the recording" means any law enforcement officer or any suspect, victim, detainee, conversant, injured party, witness, or other similarly situated person who appears on the recording, and shall not include people who only incidentally appear on the recording.