Getting body camera footage from the Winamac Police Department will now cost $150. The fee was approved as part of an ordinance by the town council Monday.
Town Attorney Justin Schramm explained that any request will have to include some specific information. “Time, location, a name of somebody other than you and the officers that were there that witnessed the event. It’s all things that are required by statute, so they have to be very specific in their request,” Schramm explained.
Schramm said that while there are some restrictions, for the most part, anyone would be entitled to make a request. The requested footage must be released within 21 days, although Indiana Code requires that certain information must be redacted first.
But Schramm stressed that the ordinance does not require officers to use body cameras at all times. “We leave that up to the police chief when they have to use that body camera footage,” he said. “This is just saying for any body camera footage that we have, this is how a request for footage applies.”
At first, some of the council members felt the state-maximum $150 fee was too high, but Schramm said it was suggested by Town Marshal Mark Hoffman, due to the potential amount of work involved. “It takes a lot of time to go in and redact some of that footage, and when we redact it, we’ve got to compare it to statute to see what has to be redacted,” Schramm explained. “We just didn’t have the room to put it all in [the ordinance]. So there is a lot of time, according to Mark. I’ve never done this kind of work before, but he says, since he’s worked with it, he knows how much time it takes.”
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department also implemented a $150 fee for body camera footage earlier this year.
