Families speak out against new Ohio body camera law

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A new law passed quietly at the Ohio Statehouse earlier this month has some people saying it hurts police and government transparency.  

The law allows law enforcement agencies to potentially charge hundreds of dollars for body camera footage.  

Families with loved ones who were victims of police brutality held a news conference Thursday to raise their voices against the law. 

The new law was a last-minute amendment to House Bill 315, a bill primarily sponsored by Republicans Rep. Bill Seitz and Rep. Thomas Hall.  

After signing the bill into law, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the policy would help law enforcement agencies manage time-consuming labor-intensive work. However, the families who spoke Thursday said the law feels like a step backward for police transparency.   

“Honestly, I feel like it damages the public's trust,” Shawna Barnett said. Barnett is the sister of Andre Hill, who was shot and killed by former Columbus Police officer Adam Coy in December 2020.  

Coy was found guilty of murder and reckless homicide in November. Barnett said body camera footage was a focal point in the trial.

“Yes, it was an invaluable thing in Andre's case,” Barnett said. “Had that footage not been there, it could have been a whole different scenario because it could have been his word against ours and not what you see.” 

She said that following Andre's death, the City of Columbus even implemented Andre's Law, which requires officers to turn on their body cameras before any enforcement to avoid a “he-said-she-said" situation.  

Barnett is one of several people in similar situations from across the states raising their voices about the law.  

“I felt like it is a step backwards for transparency and accountability,” Barnett said.   

The law states agencies can charge $75 per hour of video produced, capping fees at $750. 

“I do think the lack of clarity in the statute undermines it,” said Susan Gilles, a professor of law at Capital University Law School. Gilles said this law changes a Supreme Court precedent which said agencies could charge for paper but not for labor.   

Gilles said people are concerned about the charge, but she thinks the bigger issue will soon be the delays.

“What the statute, the Senate bill does is now, if they elect to charge, they can take five days to work out how much they're going to charge you and it's only when you pay the amount that the clock starts running,” Gilles said.  

We asked her if she thinks this law will backfire in any way.  

“So this was passed late,” Giles said. “It was passed without any consultation or any evidence of what the problem is, so I think when you pass something not knowing what problem you're trying to fix, you often create a whole set of new problems.” 

When asked what they want to see done about this law, the attorneys representing these families said they want to see it repealed.  

NBC4 has reached out to many law enforcement agencies in central Ohio including the Columbus Division of Police to see if they plan to charge. All of them tell us they have not made any decisions yet.  

The law is set to take effect April 2.