Committee backs substitute clarifying review board access to police recordings under Indiana Open Door Law

The Community Relations Committee accepted a substitute bill clarifying that the Community Police Review Board and the board director may review law-enforcement recordings “relevant to any complaint” under the Indiana Open Door Law and the state access-to-public-records rules.

Sherry Bolden Simpson, a member of the Community Relations Committee, presented the substitute language and explained the change was intended to narrow the scope of a prior amendment to avoid confusion about whether the board could review all recordings. “The substitute bill that was submitted earlier today, cuts back on the breadth of the original amendment,” she said.

Attorney Bob Palmer (city legal department) told the committee that public documents and recordings are subject to the Indiana Open Door Law and can be requested through APRA, but some exceptions (such as ongoing police investigations or records contrary to the public interest) may apply. “There are some exceptions to…