Police Magazine Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Fight Over Body Cam Footage Begun in Florida

As more police departments equip their officers with body-worn cameras, the question of who gets access to that footage—and at what cost—is fast becoming a new frontier in open-records policy.

March 10, 2015
2 min to read


As more police departments equip their officers with body-worn cameras, the question of who gets access to that footage—and at what cost—is fast becoming a new frontier in open-records policy, reports the Columbia Journalism Review.

In Florida, with one of the strongest public-records laws in the country, that frontier may soon be shaped by a couple of factors. One is a lawsuit filed by a Sarasota attorney against the local police department over fees for release of video footage. The second is a bill in the state legislature that would create new exemptions in the public records law when it comes to body cameras.

Ad Loading...

The lawsuit was filed by Michael Barfield, vice president of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, who asked the Sarasota (Fla.) Police Department for the 84 hours of video recorded by officers wearing body cameras during a test of the equipment last year. Though some states grant police broad discretion over when to release video, the Sarasota department recognizes the footage is subject to disclosure under Florida’s records law.

But local officials told Barfield he would have to pay $18,000 for DVD copies of the recordings. As the Sarasota Herald Tribune noted, that amounts to $190 per hour of video. The charge includes $5 for each DVD, far more than blank DVDs cost. But the real cost is in the 458 hours the police department estimates it will take to review the videos and redact anything that might be exempt from the records request—an estimate that works out to more than five hours of time for each hour of footage. Barfield decided to sue.

Meanwhile, a bill currently making its way through the Florida Senate addresses those privacy issues, exempting from the public records law body-cam footage shot inside a private home, as well as anything shot inside a school or hospital or during a medical emergency. The bill also allows someone who is videotaped to get access to the footage.

More Technology

police car geotab thumbnail for services whitepaper
Sponsored•November 2, 2026

A police agency's guide to data-driven fleet management

Public trust is earned through transparency, and your fleet data can help demonstrate it. This ebook shows how police agencies can use fleet management solutions to strengthen accountability, improve officer safety and responsibly use public funds.

Read More →
sample image of a policie ID
Technology•October 29, 2026

FaceTec and Police & Sheriffs Press Announce Law Enforcement UR Code Partnership

FaceTec has partnered with Police & Sheriffs Press to supply secure ID cards to law enforcement agencies. UR Codes to be added to photo IDs in over 6,000 police and sheriff's departments.

Read More →
Panasonic White Paper Toughbook in Action Cover
Sponsored•October 26, 2026

TOUGHBOOK in Action at the Third Largest County in the Nation – Harris County, TX

Learn how Harris County, one of the nation’s largest counties, modernized its law enforcement fleet with TOUGHBOOK® rugged laptops—strengthening security, productivity, and operational readiness across every unit.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Motorola Solutions Insights dashboard displaying public safety operational analytics, including average response time, daily incidents, and dispatched units, with suggested actions, trend comparisons, recommended actions, and an AI-powered Assist Chat panel.
Technology•October 22, 2026

How Motorola Solutions’ New “Insights” Platform Helps Public Safety Agencies Identify Trends to Improve Their Operations

Motorola Solutions has introduced Insights, which leverages Assist, its mission-critical artificial intelligence (AI), to address these challenges and shape what’s next for public safety analytics and reporting technology.

Read More →
POLICE Magazine graphic featuring a Panasonic Toughbook rugged laptop against a dark urban background, with the headline “Understanding Rugged and Fully Rugged” in bold white and yellow lettering.
Technology•by Wayne Parham•October 19, 2026

What Qualifies a Laptop as Rugged or Fully Rugged?

Police officers face a wide range of working conditions that can damage or even destroy a regular consumer laptop. Learn what qualifies a computer as rugged or fully rugged and why those devices are vital for law enforcement.

Read More →
Sheriff's deputy operates a Panasonic Toughbook rugged laptop on the hood of a patrol vehicle at an outdoor law enforcement scene, with another officer and SUV in the background.
Technology•October 15, 2026

Panasonic Connect Launches the Toughbook 34 and Toughbook G3, Fully Rugged 2-in-1 Mobile Computers

Panasonic Connect has launched the Toughbook 34 and Toughbook G3 to facilitate in-vehicle dispatch, records management, and mobile command operations from any location.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Person holding a tablet displaying a digital public safety technology interface
Sponsored•September 10, 2026

AI and analytics for law enforcement: Turning data into insights

Law enforcement agencies are managing more video, sensor data and digital evidence than ever before. Discover how AI and analytics can help turn that data into actionable insights that strengthen situational awareness, accelerate investigations and support more informed decisions.

Read More →
Close-up of a black Vasco Translator device displaying the white Vasco logo and “Translator” text on its screen.
Technology•September 3, 2026

Vasco Electronics Adds Automatic Language Detection to Vasco Translator Q1

Vasco Electronics’ software update introduces hands-free language switching and expanded offline translation across 45 language pairs, empowering law enforcement, healthcare, and front-office enterprise teams

Read More →
Mark43 logo over a blue digital technology background featuring a cloud and connected computer, laptop, smartphone, and other device icons.
Technology•August 27, 2026

North Miami Police Department Deploys Mark43

The North Miami Police Department has deployed Mark43 as part of its Five-Year Strategic Plan that represents its collective vision and goals for a more proactive police department, anchored by a core commitment to leveraging modern technology to enhance efficiency and public safety.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Cellebrite logo over a close-up computer keyboard featuring a large blue “investigation” key, illustrating digital investigation technology and forensic tools.
Technology•August 27, 2026

Cellebrite Genesis for Enterprise Now Generally Available

Made available to the public sector in June, Cellebrite Genesis is serving a growing mix of national, regional, and local agencies worldwide, including some of the largest regional and metropolitan police departments. It is now available for enterprise organizations.

Read More →