The South Bend Common Council Monday night will have a public hearing and vote on a bill to start charging fees when the public requests police dash cam and body cam videos. The city has provided figures showing steadily growing public interest in the videos.
In 2020, just more than a year after South Bend police adopted body-worn video cameras, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer, the city received 34 requests for videos from dash and body cameras combined. That number rose to 51 in 2021, 82 in 2022, 100 in 2023 and 152 last year. Through last week there had been 112 requests so far this year, which is on pace to surpass 200 by year’s end.
The city provided those numbers in response to WVPE’s public records request. An assistant city attorney notes that the figures count requests, not videos. There would be many more videos than requests because most requests ask for all video of an incident, which involves multiple cameras.
The city says redacting confidential information in the videos takes time. The bill would create a new $50 hourly fee, up to a maximum $150.
But critics say many of the people who interact most with police can’t afford that, and they argue the public is already paying for the cameras and the city staff time.
The Mayor James Mueller administration has initiated the bill. Mueller said he was unavailable for an interview Friday but in a statement he said the bill follows best practices under state law and as outlined by the state's public access counselor, and is similar to policies of other local governments like Gary, Hammond and St. Joseph County.
Mueller said, “After much debate it's time to turn our focus on other pressing matters in the city."
