IMPD will begin charging for body camera videos

After a year-long review, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has begun charging for requests for police body camera videos.

The department, which has more than 1,290 officers equipped with body cameras, said its decision to implement fees for requesting videos followed a year of data collection and costs evaluation.

Under state law, public agencies are permitted to charge up to $150 for copies of law enforcement recordings, The Indianapolis Star reported.

Police Chief Randal Taylor said the department is “introducing a fee structure within the guidelines set by the state of Indiana.”

IMPD will charge $50 for videos shorter than 30 minutes, $100 for videos between 30 and 60 minutes and $150 for videos longer than an hour. The department said the fee structure will be followed even if redacting and preparing a video takes more or less time than normal.

The new process will require those wanting a body camera video to request the video online. The video will be delivered via email following redaction and review.

Payment will not be required until the video redaction is complete and ready to be delivered.

Pricing will be set per video and all fees collected will go back into IMPD’s body-worn camera program, the implementation of which began in August 2020.

The body camera program’s annual expense for the devices and video storage is about $1.6 million dollars. The fee structure is based on staffing costs associated with video production.