Lima Police Chief Kevin Martin has weighed in on an Ohio bill that will clarify what is public record regarding body cameras.
Martin said that House Bill 425 is right in line with what he hoped to see. It addresses all his concerns about the release of body cam footage and protecting victims and witnesses. The bill that has passed, in some form, the state house and senate is waiting a signature from Governor John Kasich. All video would be public record except video that identifies victims of sexual or domestic violence, health or personal information, shows an act of sever violence resulting in harm to an officer and more along those lines.
"I never wanted to see the concerns or problems of the police department being satisfied at the community's expense," said Martin. "I think 425 helps to balance that out so that we're able to be transparent in what we do for the public, but at the same time we're not getting innocent people pulled into, releasing video that might be embarrassing or harmful to them."
Martin said few requests have come in since implementing body cams in November, but they can be requested by emailing the records bureau.
