Pennsylvania to set policy limiting release of police video
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The state is poised to set a policy exempting police audio and video recordings from its public-records law and giving police departments broad discretion over when to refuse requests from people for copies of them.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said he would sign a bill that cleared its last legislative hurdle Tuesday, passing the Senate without debate, 49-1. The bill covers all audio and video recordings by officers, including those from body cameras and dashboard cameras.
Law enforcement organizations support the bill, which also clears legal hurdles for police departments to expand the use of body cameras. The bill was opposed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which says it will be nearly impossible for the public to obtain police video.
A Wolf administration spokesman said Tuesday that the governor would prefer a law that allows more transparency in the release of police video, but that he believed the bill is a good first step toward encouraging police departments to use body cameras to increase accountability without concerns over violating state law.