A new law in New Jersey makes it illegal for first responders to take and share photos and videos of accident victims without their consent.
The Star Ledger reports (http://bit.ly/NyixLv) that the law is nicknamed “Cathy’s Law,” after Cathy Bates, who was killed in a 2009 car accident in Barnegat. A volunteer took a picture of Bates at the accident scene and posted it on Facebook before her family was notified.
Emergency service workers would still be able to take photos for “legitimate law enforcement, public safety, health care, or insurance purpose or pursuant to a court order,” according to the bill. Violating the law is a disorderly person’s offense, punishable by up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.
The easy accessibility of media in the Internet era has created a number of issues for firefighters and other responders. For more on these issues, consider The Boston Fire Department Makes Use of Web Social Media , Tactical Safety for Firefighters: Live-Burned, Miami-Dade (FL) Fire Captain Demoted over Trayvon Martin Facebook Post, and FDIC 2012: Varone on Firefighters and Social Media. Also, cosinder John K. Murphy’s proposal for social media policy in Legal Fire Prevention: Social Media Policy.