Crime scene photos may no longer be released to the public under a newly proposed law.

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4/11/2011: Newspaper Story - Members of the press spoke against a bill that will seal access to crime scene photographs and videos

Intro:	Two weeks after controversy arises over St. Louis police officers who shared a graphic crime photo on the Internet, Missouri lawmakers discuss a bill that limits the accessibility to these photos.
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Wrap: Though the bill was filed before the incident, it raises the question of how accessible crime records should be.

The sponsor, Representative Scott Largent says there are some things the public should not see. He says graphic photos should not be released to respect the victim's family.

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Description: "Throughout my four years as coroner, we had terrible scenes, suicides, stuff like that. You just don’t want to add insult to injury to the families of these victims.”

President of the Missouri Broadcaster's Association Don Hicks opposes the bill and says personal distress is not a reason to make an exception to the Sunshine Law, which allows the press access to records in order to inform the public.

The bill will be further discussed in upcoming committee meetings.

From the State Capitol, I'm Kadee Brosseau.

Intro:	The Missouri House committee on crime prevention and public safety heard a bill that will prevent crime photos from being released just two weeks after St. Louis police officers shared a crime photo to the Internet.
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Wrap: While the bill was not written in response to the St. Louis controversy, it would limit the release of crime photos.

If passed, graphic photos and videos will not be released to the public or the press.

The bill's sponsor, Republican Representative Scott Largent says showing these types of photos is disrespectful to the victim and their families.

President of the Missouri Broadcasters Association Don Hicks opposes the bill and says the press' job is to inform the public, not protect the feelings of the victim's families.

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Description: “When you start making an individual’s emotional distress a matter of state interest, you need to be cautious before you proceed down that road.”

The committee will further discuss this bill in upcoming hearings.

From the State Capitol, I'm Kadee Brosseau.

Intro:	Two weeks ago, St. Louis police officers shared a controversial crime photo to the Internet, now lawmakers are proposing a bill that prevents crime photos from being released to the public.
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Wrap: Though the incident in St.Louis happened after the bill was filed, both address the issue of how easy it should be gain crime photos.

Under this bill, police will close these records.

The bill's sponsor, Representative Scott Largent says he wants to protect the victim's families by preventing the release of these photos.

And President of the Missouri Coroners' and Medical Examiners' Association John Clifton agrees.

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Description: “Just imagine if your daughter or granddaughter was the victim. Would you want to see her photograph in the newspaper or on television or in a tabloid or on the Internet?”

But, the Missouri Press Association's executive director Doug Crews, says the press needs to access these photos to inform the public.

The committee will continue to discuss this bill as the session continues.

From the state capitol, I'm Kadee Brosseau.