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SALT LAKE CITY — Amid concerns over officer-involved shootings nationwide, some states, like South Carolina, are opting to keep body cam videos out of the public eye.
And nearly 20 states now have laws on handling public access to the recordings. Lawmakers in Utah opted in support of public interest last February, designating those videos as public record, similar to dashcam recordings.
"There really were no standards statewide," Utah Sen. Daniel Thatcher said. "I think it's very important that we balance the interest of the public and accountability for those charged with protecting the public."
The bill that was sponsored by Thatcher also leaves some exceptions to protect personal privacy in videos that do not involve rescues or use-of-force actions that were shot on private property. The body cam videos also fall under the same dozen exceptions outlined by Utah's Government Records Access and Management Act, or GRAMA.
Not everyone is satisfied with how the new law is being handled, however. Leah Farrell, staff attorney with the ACLU of Utah, points out that the Salt Lake City Attorney's Office is still withholding release of video related to the February police shooting of then-17-year-old Abdullahi Mohamed. Officers said Mohamed came at them with a metal broomstick.
"The fact that body cam footage is a public record, as established in our law, really it should be released," Farrell said. "It's important for there to be transparency to have a sense that the whole matter will be handled transparently and that nothing is being hidden."
Thatcher says GRAMA allows agencies to hold records in the case of an ongoing investigation or to ensure a fair trial. He further mentions the need to consider whether public interest outweighs the expectation of privacy.
"Would you want the worst moments of your life played out on the 6 o'clock news, without any thought given to family?" Thatcher said.
