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Police chief outlines changes from state public-records bill allowing fees for bodycam redaction; council to consider ordinance amendments
Summary
The police chief described provisions in a recent state House bill that allow municipalities to charge fees for body-camera video redaction and to post official notices on social media; city staff said they will draft ordinance amendments to implement the changes locally.
Canal Fulton's police chief briefed council on changes in a recently passed state House bill that modifies public-records rules for law enforcement footage and social-media postings.
Chief Wilson told council the law permits municipalities to charge for labor to redact body-camera footage, explaining that redaction is time-consuming and often pulls officers off patrol. "It requires a lot of redaction which take a a lot of hours," the chief said. Under the new statutory language described at the meeting, municipalities may charge up to $75 per hour for redaction work for up to 10 hours (a $750 cap) plus any cost for media provided (for example, a thumb drive). The chief said the city will still be required to comply with public-records requests but that charges can offset the administrative burden.
Council also heard that the bill clarifies that posting notices on official social-media accounts can satisfy publication requirements that previously referenced physical postings such as in a local newspaper. Staff said the city's current ordinance still references a print paper called "Apples" in one place and requires updates to align local rules with the state law and current practice.
City staff and the police chief said they will draft proposed amendments to the city's public-records and posting ordinances and return to council with specific language. No ordinance was introduced or adopted at the meeting; council discussion focused on the operational effects and the need to update local code to avoid future litigation from records request "watchdog" groups, which the chief said have targeted some municipalities.
Council members asked clarifying questions about fees, limits and how the changes would be implemented. Staff noted the fee schedule would be set in ordinance language and reiterated that the city still must respond to requests even when fees apply.
