About three years ago, a New London police officer investigating the fatal overdose of a young National Guardsman sent pictures of the dead man's body to some friends.
The incident caused the victim's family enormous grief and now it has resulted in legislation to prohibit similar acts. The state Senate this afternoon approved a bill that bars emergency responders -- police officers, EMTs, firefighters and others -- from the unauthorized distribution of crime scene photos.
The bill aims "to make sure people who are in the position of trust do not take advantage of that trust,'' said Sen. Eric Coleman, D-Bloomfield.
Sen. Kevin Witkos, a Canton Republican who also works as a police officer, questioned whether the bill was worded in such a way that it would prevent first-responders from taking the photos they may need to to do their jobs.
But Coleman said the bill will not impact responders fulfilling their official duties.
The measure passed on a vote of 29 to 5. It now goes to the state House of Representatives.
