Summary
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a bill allowing law enforcement agencies to charge up to $750 per video for public records requests involving police body cams, dash cams, or jail surveillance.
Critics, including the NAACP and ACLU, argued the fees could discourage public access to critical footage, such as videos of police encounters.
The fee is optional and capped to reflect production costs, but must be paid upfront.
DeWine defended the bill but expressed openness to revising the law if unintended consequences arise. Previously, public record fees were limited to nominal copying costs.
Does that mean that police will pay up to $750 for CCTV video footage requested for evidence now? Yeah I didn’t think so.
Actually, I wonder if this could be used as a precedent for getting compensation when you have to comply with a subpoena.
Government: Rules for thee, not for me
I’d charge double and give at least half to the victims. I’ll keep some for the cleaning costs of dealing with swine.