How Ohio police justify charging hundreds of dollars for bodycam video

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https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/politics/ohio-politics/how-ohio-police-justify-charging-hundreds-of-dollars-for-bodycam-video

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Police officers in Ohio are defending their soon-to-be new ability to charge hundreds of dollars for body camera footage requested by the public and media, saying it protects officers from harassment. Advocates, attorneys and professors fear for government transparency and accountability.

Police body and dash camera footage helps Ohioans know what's going on in their communities.

"They're out for understanding, they're out for transparency and they're looking for justice," attorney ​Sarah Gelsomino said.


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Mike Weinman with the Fraternal Order of Police said this new law would help smaller municipalities that already struggle with staffing.

"Whoever is in charge of their public records, that person might be pulled off the road to do these things," Weinman said. "So that means there's a person who's not responding to calls, who's not out there being proactive in the community."

Police still want to be transparent, he added, but they want to make it more difficult for social media bloggers — or activists — who mass request footage.

For example, Marion Police Chief Jay McDonald, also the president of the Ohio FOP, showed me that he receives requests from people asking for drunk and disorderly conduct videos. Oftentimes, these people monetize the records on YouTube, he added.