Bill would speed up release of police bodycam footage

Bill would speed up release of police bodycam footage

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SALT LAKE CITY — Following push from media and other groups in the wake of a controversial officer-involved shooting last year near the Rio Grande homeless shelter, a bill to allow faster release of police body camera footage cleared its first legislative hurdle Friday.

HB381 would allow direct appeals to district court if police or prosecutors reject a public records request for body camera footage because of pending criminal action.

The House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee voted unanimously, without debate, to forward the bill to the House floor.

Bill sponsor Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, said HB381 would allow a judge to more quickly decide whether the public's interest in the footage outweighs protecting it for a pending criminal case.

The bill comes after video footage of the shooting of then-17-year-old Abdullahi "Abdi" Mohamed was held by Salt Lake County prosecutors for nearly a year before it was shown for the first time publicly in court last month.

Mohamed was put in a medically induced coma and hospitalized for weeks after the shooting. The incident incited somewhat of a riot around the homeless shelter, with bystanders reacting by throwing objects at police.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill ruled the police officers involved in the shooting were justified.

In the wake of denied media requests on the basis of a pending criminal case, the American Civil Liberties Union sued for access to the footage but was denied, followed by months of appeals.

Ray said HB381 would allow a quicker and more direct process to avoid long battles over body camera footage in the future.

The bill was supported by the Utah Media Coalition and the ACLU.

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Katie McKellar

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