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www.newsfromthestates.com

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is evaluating whether he wants to sign a bill into law that could charge the public hundreds of dollars for footage from law enforcement agencies, including body cameras.

  • tacosanonymous@lemm.ee
    56·
    2 days ago

    The public would have to pay for access to the public property?

    Even if he did sign it, that should not withstand judicial scrutiny.

      • kent_eh@lemmy.caEnglish
        22·
        2 days ago

        Exactly.

        It takes some amount of salaried time to do the work associated with making sure the correct records are released.

        And to ensure that nothing being released is going to disrupt the fairness of an ongoing trial or something like that.

        • DarkNightoftheSoulEnglish
          2·
          2 days ago

          those salaries are already being paid, and $75/hr is not fair pay for that work, and the $75 is not going to the laborer. This argument does not hold water. it is obviously a strategic decision to decrease public access to public resources. is there any question what game this strategy is meant to influence? which players the strategy is meant to benefit?

          Edit: from dogslayeggs’ comment:

          … all citizens “have a right to as full knowledge of all the official acts of their officers as the officers themselves have, so as to enable them to ascertain whether their officers have performed their duty in such manner as is acceptable to them with a view to determine whether they will continue them in office or not.” The court added: [T]he records in the auditor’s office are the public records of the people of Hamilton county, bought with their money, kept in a public place built with their money, and in the charge of public officials paid by their money and selected by them. The officials in charge of these books, therefore, can be no other than trustees in possession of property belonging to the people of Hamilton county."