The cost of obtaining body-worn camera video from the Oro Valley Police Department will nearly double, following unanimous approval by the Town Council this week.
Public records requests for the department’s Axon body-worn camera footage will increase from $25 per video to $46 for every hour of footage reviewed, the maximum charge allowed under state law.
The town’s police department says the increase is necessary to cover the cost of time-intensive requests for these public records.
“Unlike standard written records requests, BWC requests require extensive staff review to ensure compliance with state and federal laws related to privacy, confidentiality, victim protection, juvenile information, medical information, and evidentiary restrictions,” a June 17 memo reads.
Oro Valley PD gets about 12 requests for body-worn camera footage a month, said department spokesperson Darren Wright. He said it takes an average of six months to fulfill these public records requests due to the volume of footage and to properly redact videos.
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“The current rate that we're charging has been the same since 2016, and so this is just kind of bringing us up to current as allowed by law to cover our costs,” he said.
Most southern Arizona law enforcement agencies meet or approach the maximum charge of $46 per hour set by a state law passed in 2023.
The Tucson Police Department charges $44 per hour, while the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and Marana Police Department charge the maximum $46.
