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 what can be produced and what must be produced. Some of those exceptions are involving, ongoing investigations by the police department,” Palmer said. He explained that the city legal department determines whether an exception applies after an APRA request is filed.

Palmer also described the city’s public-records copying charges for law-enforcement recordings: “And that’s the, charge for $25 an hour up to a maximum of $75,” he said.

Committee members repeatedly said the change is largely clarifying rather than adding new authority. “In reality, like, it isn’t necessary that we have this included here because … the review board, and the director, does have the ability to review these recordings,” one committee member said, quoting the attorney’s explanation; others said codifying the authority will prevent future misunderstandings.

Joseph Adams, chair of the Community Police Review Board, spoke in favor of the substitute language and framed the board’s role as a check within government. “This idea is idea, Madam Chair. In the council's wisdom, they created the review board as both a quasi judicial and oversight board as a checks and balance,” Adams said.

Bob Masters, attorney for the Community Police Review Board, also urged the committee to forward the substitute with a favorable recommendation. Masters said the board voted unanimously to ask the committee to allow members access to law-enforcement recordings relevant to their work.

The committee moved to accept the substitute bill and members voted in favor. No detailed roll-call tally of individual ayes or nays was recorded in the meeting transcript.

The bill references an earlier change: on 08/11/2025 the council passed Bill 43-25, which amended the municipal code (identified in the meeting as section 2,210) related to fees and the process for public-records requests; the substitute now explicitly places review authority in the review-board and review-officer duties while conditioning review on compliance with the Indiana Open Door Law.

The committee discussion included questions about how board members would view recordings in practice (in public meetings, at city offices, or on individual review), and attorney Palmer said that, if the recording is subject to release under state law, “they could also just do it on their own time with a trip to whatever department has custody of the record or recording and do it whenever it's convenient for them.”

The committee opened the item for public comment; speakers in favor included Joseph Adams (review-board chair) and Bob Masters (review-board attorney). The substitute was accepted by the committee for further consideration.

Less-critical details: committee members indicated the review board has its own attorney available to assist with records review and redaction questions; the substitute clarifies language in two places of the municipal code where review duties are listed.