requiring that custodial interrogations be recorded, establishing a fund to make grants to state law enforcement agencies to purchase equipment to enable such recordings, and making an appropriation therefor.

SB 261 requires that all custodial interrogations (questioning of individuals in police custody) be electronically recorded with audio and/or video, with exceptions for equipment failure or specific requests by the person being questioned. The bill establishes a $50,000 fund to help state law enforcement agencies purchase recording equipment, prioritizing departments without any recording capability. It creates a presumption that unrecorded statements cannot be used as evidence in court, though this can be overcome with reasonable justification. The law applies to all state law enforcement agencies conducting interrogations at police stations, jails, or other detention facilities and would take effect 9 months after passage.