Lawmakers in Annapolis are considering introducing legislation that would set statewide standards on police surveillance programs and required public disclosures.

The Baltimore Sun reports:

The head of the city’s delegation to the Maryland House of Delegates said the public should know where such technology is used, how the information is kept and the costs involved. The lawmaker, Del. Curt Anderson, is looking at proposing regulations in the next General Assembly session that all Maryland police departments would have to follow to do any kind of surveillance.

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Anderson said he is researching how a bill could be crafted. The legislation could “impact anything where the police have cameras that view the public, whether it’s the body cameras, the CCTV cameras, an eye in the sky or dash cams,” Anderson said. “It would be a comprehensive look at all the tools police have to surveil.

“It’s more than dotting i’s and crossing t’s. It’s ferreting out how and where it would be used, where you keep the information, how much it would cost to store that information, and how much it would cost someone if they made a request for that information,” Anderson said. “Right now, it would be up to the local jurisdiction.”

He said the statewide regulations could be promulgated by the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions. The bill also could set new, modern standards for the disclosure of police surveillance footage as evidence in criminal cases and in response to requests under the Maryland Public Information Act, Anderson said.

For more information read the full article in The Baltimore Sun.