High police video fees hinder public record access

Pria DuPont is frustrated with the cost of accessing police body-camera footage from an incident at her home in 2023. She received an invoice for $1,370 from the Avondale police, mainly for 38 videos priced at $35 each. DuPont believes this fee is excessive, especially since the number of officers responding is unpredictable. A new Arizona law allows police agencies to charge up to $46 per hour for reviewing video requests. Officials from Mesa and Glendale supported this charge, claiming that processing requests is both costly and time-intensive. The Mesa police chief mentioned that it takes about two years for some people to receive requested footage due to high demand. Not all police departments in Arizona charge the same fees. For example, the Phoenix Police Department charges only $4 for body-camera footage of a complete case. Advocates of open government argue that high fees for police video can discourage people from seeking public records, which can harm government transparency. The ABC15 Investigators found that fees for police video requests vary across the country. Ohio recently passed a law allowing charges of up to $75 per hour. In Massachusetts, the Boston Police Department charges $25 per hour but offers the first two hours free. Other states have different structures and limits for these requests. After DuPont’s case gained attention, Avondale police acknowledged a calculation error. They corrected her invoice to $245 for only seven videos. However, they did not address her claims regarding her arrest and injuries from handcuffs.