A 1426: Includes a police or peace officer turning off their body camera or deleting a body camera recording in the crime of tampering with physical evidence and obstructing governmental administration.
The bill aims to strengthen laws related to tampering with physical evidence and obstructing governmental administration. Tampering with physical evidence is defined as intentionally creating or presenting false evidence in an official proceeding or intending to prevent the production or use of evidence in such a proceeding. This is classified as a class E felony. The bill also expands the definition of obstructing governmental administration to include actions such as releasing a dangerous animal, damaging or removing a padlock installed to enforce a health or safety order, and turning off a body camera in situations where it is policy to record. These actions are classified as a class A misdemeanor. The bill takes effect 30 days after it becomes law.
| Mar. 02, 2026 | print number 1426a |
| Mar. 02, 2026 | amend (t) and recommit to codes |
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to codes |
| Jan. 09, 2025 | referred to codes |
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1426 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 9, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HUNTER, ZINERMAN, EPSTEIN, JACKSON, DINOWITZ -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to tampering with physical evidence The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 215.40 of the penal law is amended to read as 2 follows: 3 § 215.40 Tampering with physical evidence. 4 A person is guilty of tampering with physical evidence when: 5 1. With intent that it be used or introduced in an official proceeding 6 or a prospective official proceeding, [he] such person (a) knowingly 7 makes, devises or prepares false physical evidence, or (b) produces or 8 offers such evidence at such a proceeding knowing it to be false; or 9 2. Believing that certain physical evidence is about to be produced or 10 used in an official proceeding or a prospective official proceeding, and 11 intending to prevent such production or use, [he] such person suppresses 12 it by any act of concealment, alteration or destruction, or by employing 13 force, intimidation or deception against any person; or 14 3. Such person is a police or peace officer and either turns off a 15 body camera in a situation where it is the policy of such officer's 16 department or agency that such body camera should be recording, or where 17 such officer deletes a body camera recording. 18 Tampering with physical evidence is a class E felony. 19 § 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall 20 have become a law. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD03959-01-5