Aiexpress – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has approved legislation that allows the public to pay for footage from police enforcement officials, including body cameras.
A section in a 450-page omnibus measure indicated that law enforcement would be authorized to charge individuals the “estimated cost” of processing jail and police film in exchange for access.
Payment may be required before the footage is disclosed, according to WEWS. Governments will be able to charge up to $75 per hour or a maximum of $750 for each request.
Footage from dash and body cameras, as well as surveillance footage from jails, are public documents in Ohio, and legal experts worry that the measure may limit the public’s access to such data.
WEWS stated that the policy was not made public and did not receive a hearing before being included in the legislation.
During a press conference last month, DeWine stated, “These requests should be honored, and we want them to be. We want them to be honored quickly, and that is quite essential.”
“We also, though — if you have, for example, a small police department … and they get a request like that, that could take one person a significant period of time,” she said.
DeWine told WEWS that the rise of body cams “creates a lot more film and video.”
“It is not a matter of whether you receive it. It’s not about how quickly you obtain it. It’s a simple question.”As a matter of public policy, will we require some reimbursement for that?” he inquired.
In a news release announcing the bill signings, DeWine stated that he “strongly supports” the ability of the public and journalists to access public information.
“The language in House Bill 315 doesn’t change that right,” stated the senator.
He mentioned that he’s “sensitive to the fact that this changing technology has affected law enforcement by oftentimes creating unfunded burdens on these agencies, especially when it comes to the often time-consuming and labor-intensive work it takes to provide them as public records.”
DeWine contended that law enforcement should not have to “divert” officers from the field and “move them to administrative tasks like lengthy video redaction reviews for which agencies receive no compensation.”
He went on to say that some of the requests originate from private companies trying to profit off the material.
“The language in House Bill 315 is a workable compromise to balance the modern realities of preparing these public records and the cost it takes to prepare them,” he continued, prior to emphasizing that the price is “optional at the discretion of the agency.”
