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Arizona bill would ban filming of police within 8 feet. This attorney says it won't work

Arizona lawmakers are considering a proposal that would ban people from recording a law enforcement activity from within 8 feet.

The measure has passed the House and is awaiting debate in a Senate committee. The bill's sponsor is Fountain Hills Republican John Kavanagh, who is a retired police officer.

The bill started off with a ban of recording within 15 feet, before lawmakers reduced that. They also added an exception for people who are the subject of the law enforcement action in question.

If the bill were to become law, it would make recordings like the one from Minneapolis in the murder of George Floyd illegal in Arizona.

Gregg Leslie is director of the First Amendment Clinic at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. The Show spoke with him to learn his reaction to this proposal from a First Amendment perspective.

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Mark Brodie is a co-host of The Show, KJZZ’s locally produced news magazine. Since starting at KJZZ in 2002, Brodie has been a host, reporter and producer, including several years covering the Arizona Legislature, based at the Capitol.