---
title: SB 482. Law Enforcement Officers and Agencies; persons requesting booking photographs to provide the first and last names of the individuals in the photographs; require
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb482
cite_as: SB 482, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb482
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb482.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb482/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73034
date: 2026-03-27
status: engrossed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 865
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb482.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 482
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-03-06
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
sponsors:
- Brian Strickland
- Randy Robertson
- Timothy Bearden
- Blake Tillery
- Tonya Anderson
- Kenya Wicks
- Joseph Gullett
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB482/2025
upstream_id: 2112332
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- public records access
- booking photos
- police body cameras
- government transparency
- victim privacy
---
# SB 482. Law Enforcement Officers and Agencies; persons requesting booking photographs to provide the first and last names of the individuals in the photographs; require
## Text
The House Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security offers the following
substitute to SB 482:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Titles 35 and 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to law
enforcement officers and agencies and state government, respectively, so as to require
persons requesting booking photographs or law enforcement videos to provide certain
information to obtain such photographs and videos; to require requests for booking
photographs or law enforcement videos to be made in person as separate requests; to provide
a definition; to provide for the public disclosure of certain records of the General Assembly;
to provide for an exemption from disclosing audio and video recordings when such
recordings depict a person's death; to provide for exceptions; to authorize redactions; to
provide for application; to provide for construction; to provide for related matters; to provide
for an effective date and applicability; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Title 35 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to law enforcement officers and
agencies, is amended in Chapter 1, relating to general provisions regarding law enforcement
officers and agencies, by revising subsection (d) of and adding a new subsection to Code
Section 35-1-19, relating to disclosure of arrest booking photographs prohibited, to read as
follows:
"(d) When a person requests a booking photograph, he or she shall request such
photograph by identifying the first and last name of the individual depicted and submit a
notarized statement affirming that the use of such photograph is in compliance with
subsection (c) of this Code section. Any person who knowingly makes a false statement
in requesting a booking photograph shall be guilty of a violation of Code Section 16-10-20.
(e) Except for requests by the person or persons depicted or requests by the attorney or
other designated agent of such person or persons depicted, requests for booking
photographs shall be made in person as separate requests for each booking photograph.
Requests for booking photographs by the person or persons depicted or requests by the
attorney or other designated agent of such person or persons depicted shall be made in
writing pursuant to Article 4 of Chapter 18 of Title 50.
(f) This Code section shall not apply to requests for booking photographs made by bona
fide credentialed members of the Georgia Press Association or the Georgia Association of
Broadcasters."
SECTION 2.
Said title is further amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"35-1-19.1.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term 'law enforcement video' means any video
recording of an individual taken by a law enforcement agency during the course of an
encounter or interaction with such individual, including, but not limited to, recordings from
body-worn devices or devices located on or inside of law enforcement vehicles.
(b) When a person requests a law enforcement video, he or she shall request such video
by identifying the first and last name of an individual depicted in such video, or the
approximate date, time, and location of the encounter or interaction that is depicted in such
video. Any person who knowingly makes a false statement in requesting a law
enforcement video shall be guilty of a violation of Code Section 16-10-20.
(c) Except for requests by the person or persons depicted or requests by the attorney or
other designated agent of such person or persons depicted, requests for law enforcement
videos shall be made in person as separate requests for each law enforcement video.
Requests for law enforcement videos by the person or persons depicted or requests by the
attorney or other designated agent of such person or persons depicted shall be made in
writing pursuant to Article 4 of Chapter 18 of Title 50.
(d) A law enforcement agency may redact a law enforcement video produced under this
Code section to conceal the identity of the persons depicted in such video; provided,
however, that images of the individual identified in subsection (b) of this Code section and
images of law enforcement personnel shall not be redacted.
(e) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed as requiring disclosure of any law
enforcement video that is otherwise exempt from disclosure under Code Section 50-18-72.
(f) Except for subsection (d), this Code section shall not apply to requests for law
enforcement videos made by bona fide credentialed members of the Georgia Press
Association or the Georgia Association of Broadcasters."
SECTION 3.
Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to state government, is amended
in subsection (a) of Code Section 50-18-72, relating to when public disclosure not required,
by striking "or" at the end of paragraph (51), by replacing the period at the end of paragraph
(52) with "; or" and by adding a new paragraph to read as follows:
"(53)(A) Audio or video recordings from devices used by any state or local government
agency that include audio, video, or images of a deceased person, or otherwise show
a person's death or show a person in distress immediately preceding his or her death;
provided, however, that this subsection shall not prohibit disclosure of such material to
the deceased person's next of kin or to an individual who has secured a written release
from the deceased person's next of kin. It shall be the responsibility of the individual
claiming to be the deceased person's next of kin to show proof of his or her familial
relationship with the deceased person. For purposes of this paragraph, the deceased
person's next of kin shall be:
(i) If living, the spouse of the deceased person;
(ii) If there is no living spouse of the deceased person, an adult child of the deceased
person;
(iii) If there is no living spouse or adult child of the deceased person, a parent, a
sibling, or a legal guardian of the deceased person; or
(iv) A person with a similar familial or legal relationship as demonstrated to a court
of competent jurisdiction.
(B) Subject to the provisions of subparagraph (C) of this paragraph, in the case of
closed criminal investigations, a superior court may order the disclosure of audio or
video recordings provided in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph upon findings in
writing that disclosure is in the public interest and outweighs any privacy interest that
may be asserted by the deceased person's next of kin. In making such determination,
the court shall consider whether such disclosure is necessary for public evaluation of
governmental performance, the seriousness of the intrusion into the family's right to
privacy, and whether such disclosure is the least intrusive means available considering
the availability of similar information in other public records. In any such action, the
court shall review the recordings in question in camera with the custodian of crime
scene materials present, if any, and may condition any disclosure on such conditions
as the court may deem necessary to accommodate the interests of the parties.
(C) Prior to releasing any audio or video recordings provided in subparagraph (A) of
this paragraph, the custodian of such recordings shall give the deceased person's next
of kin at least two weeks' notice. No court shall order a disclosure pursuant to
subparagraph (B) of this paragraph which would disregard or shorten the duration of
such notice requirement.
(D) The provisions of this paragraph shall apply to all undisclosed material which is
in the custody of a state or local government agency on May 13, 2026, and to any such
material which comes into the custody of a state or local government agency after such
date.
(E) This paragraph shall not apply to disclosure of crime scene material to counsel
representing a convicted defendant in a habeas corpus action pursuant to Chapter 14 of
Title 9, on an extraordinary motion for new trial under Code Section 5-5-40 or 5-5-41,
or in a federal habeas corpus action under Section 2254 or 2255 of Title 28 of the
United States Code for the purpose of preparing to file or litigating such proceedings.
Counsel may disclose such materials to his or her client and any expert or investigator
assisting such counsel but shall not otherwise disseminate such materials, except to the
extent they may be necessary exhibits in court proceedings. A request pursuant to this
paragraph shall clearly state that such request is being made for the purpose of
preparing to file and litigate proceedings enumerated in this subparagraph.
(F) This paragraph shall not apply to requests for audio, video, or images made by
bona fide credentialed members of the Georgia Press Association or the Georgia
Association of Broadcasters."
SECTION 4.
This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law
without such approval, and shall apply to any request for a booking photograph or a law
enforcement video made on or after such date.
SECTION 5.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia Senate bill, as revised by a House committee, would require anyone requesting police booking photos or law enforcement videos to name the person shown, and would let agencies withhold recordings of a person's death from the public.
### Plain-language summary
Under current Georgia law, people can request booking photographs from police as long as they submit a statement affirming lawful use. This bill tightens that process by requiring requesters to identify the individual in the photo by first and last name and to notarize their statement. It also creates a new rule for law enforcement videos, such as body camera or dashcam footage, requiring requesters to identify the person depicted or the approximate date, time, and location of the incident. Except for the person shown or their attorney, requests must be made in person, one at a time.
The bill also changes Georgia's open records law (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72) to exempt audio and video recordings that show a person's death or their distress right before dying from public disclosure, with exceptions for the deceased's next of kin, court-ordered release in closed investigations, and attorneys in certain habeas corpus cases. Journalists credentialed with the Georgia Press Association or Georgia Association of Broadcasters are exempted from most of these new requirements. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it or it becomes law without his signature, and would apply to requests made afterward.
### What it does
- Requires anyone requesting a booking photo to name the person depicted and submit a notarized statement confirming lawful use, instead of just an unnotarized statement.
- Creates a new category called 'law enforcement video' covering body camera and vehicle camera footage, and requires requesters to identify the person shown or the incident's date, time, and location.
- Requires most booking photo and law enforcement video requests to be made in person, one request per photo or video, except for the depicted person or their attorney.
- Exempts audio or video recordings showing a person's death or their final distress from Georgia's open records law, except for release to next of kin or by court order in closed cases.
- Allows agencies to redact law enforcement videos to hide bystanders' identities, but not the identity of the person named in the request or of law enforcement personnel.
- Exempts credentialed Georgia Press Association and Georgia Association of Broadcasters members from most of the new identification and in-person requirements.
### Who it affects
Georgia residents seeking booking photos or police video footage, journalists and members of the Georgia Press Association and Georgia Association of Broadcasters, families of people who died in incidents captured on police recordings, defense attorneys handling habeas corpus cases, and law enforcement agencies and courts that process these requests.
### Why it matters
People seeking mugshots or police footage would face new identification and notarization steps and could no longer submit bulk or mailed requests in most cases. Families of people who died on camera would gain new privacy protection, while access to that footage would become harder for the general public to obtain, even for oversight purposes.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 to require booking photo requesters to name the person depicted and submit a notarized statement; false statements remain a crime under O.C.G.A. § 16-10-20.
- Section 1 requires most booking photo requests to be made in person and separately for each photo, with exceptions for the depicted person, their attorney, or credentialed press members.
- Section 2 creates new Code Section 35-1-19.1 defining 'law enforcement video' and setting similar identification and in-person request rules, plus a redaction option that protects the named individual and officers from being obscured.
- Section 3 amends O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 to add a new exemption (paragraph 53) shielding recordings of a person's death or final distress from public disclosure, with defined next-of-kin release rights.
- Section 3 allows a superior court to order disclosure of death recordings in closed criminal investigations if it finds the public interest outweighs the family's privacy interest, after in-camera review and two weeks' notice to next of kin.
- Section 3 carves out access for defense counsel in habeas corpus or new-trial proceedings and for credentialed journalists, subject to conditions.
- Section 3 applies the death-recording exemption to material already held by agencies as of May 13, 2026, and to material obtained afterward.
- Section 4 sets the effective date as the date the Governor signs the bill or it becomes law without signature, applying to requests made on or after that date.
## Status
- Status: Engrossed (2026-03-06)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (2026-03-27)
- Sponsors: Brian Strickland, Randy Robertson, Timothy Bearden, Blake Tillery, Tonya Anderson, Kenya Wicks, Joseph Gullett
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73034
> The history, votes, and amendments (865 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb482.md?full=1