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Police chiefs back fee schedule to cover time and redaction costs for body and dash camera records; advocates warn of access barriers
Summary
The Connecticut Police Chiefs Association urged lawmakers to authorize redaction fees for body‑worn and dashboard camera footage under Senate Bill 973, saying agencies face heavy staff burdens and delays. Civil‑liberties and press advocates raised concerns about affordability and public accountability.
Police chiefs told the Government Oversight Committee on Thursday that Connecticut law should allow law‑enforcement agencies to charge reasonable fees to cover the time and technology required to review, redact and provide body‑worn and dash camera footage to requesters.
"This bill will help...strike the balance between providing the public the information they want from law enforcement agencies while establishing a fee structure that helps public agencies offset the rapidly increasing costs associated with this technology," said Carl Jacobson, chief of police in New Haven, testifying for the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association.
Jacobson described significant staff…
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