GRO upholds Salt Lake County’s refusal to release proprietary jail surveillance footage
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Summary
The GRO denied Mr. Wong’s appeal seeking jail surveillance video, finding the footage contains third‑party privacy/security details and that technical or redaction constraints mean release would either create a new record or compromise facility security.
Mr. Wong sought surveillance footage from a jail interaction he says demonstrates deliberate indifference by a health provider and could support civil litigation. He offered a cropped version that would show only him and the provider if the county could produce it.
Salt Lake County counsel and a lieutenant explained the footage is stored in a proprietary Bosch format, contains other inmates on camera, and that the system’s redaction tools either redact all people or cannot isolate an individual or area. County witnesses said outside vendors and technology providers had no practical way to crop the footage without generating a new record or incurring material cost and technical obstacles.
After an in‑camera review and testimony about the system limitations and the presence of third parties on camera, the director found the footage is properly classified as protected under the cited GRAMA provision (security/305.13) because release in full could jeopardize facility safety and the proprietary format prevents feasible redaction without creating a new record. The appeal was denied; the director will issue a written decision and reminded parties that court orders are an available path for litigation discovery.