Find Out If You Are Allowed Access to Police Body-Cam Videos in Your State
Police departments across the country force officers to wear body-worn cameras to record their daily activities. The programs are designed to help officers and the public by keeping track of their interactions with people. In some states, the public can access these videos.
This interactive map of the Committee of Reporters for Press Freedom (RCFP) shows the current local policy regarding public access to police cameras. Just click on the camera located in your area:
It also shows the current state of state law in different colors for each state. Blue means there is a proposed law on public access to camera footage; yellow means that such a law has been adopted; brown means that no access laws have been passed, but the state has passed bills only on the introduction of body cameras; green means that the court has adopted rules regarding public access to video recordings from a TV camera. Using the aforementioned tool, I was able to read a summary of my local police body camera policy, and there was even a direct link to the policy itself .
Keep in mind that just because your local policy allows public access to footage doesn’t mean it will be easy to access. RCFP says journalists and others have already had some difficulty explaining that each state defines the public records these videos refer to very broadly and freely, and states often charge high processing fees. They cite an example from Florida , where someone requested 84 hours of police television footage and was told it would cost $ 18,000. There are ways to avoid these extravagant costs, such as requesting as few videos as possible and using a waiver when permitted by state law, but be aware of the potential hurdles.