Washoe Sheriff wants public to pay fee — $200 an hour — for copies of body camera footage

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office is asking the Washoe County Commission for permission to charge a fee for providing body worn camera footage to the public.

In a staff report ahead of the commission's Dec. 8 meeting, the sheriff's office recommends charging $200 for every hour that a staff member works on redacting the footage. It takes about an hour to redact about 10 minutes of footage, according to the staff report.

In the staff report, the sheriff's office argues it has seen an increase in the number of requests for copies of body worn camera footage. Deputies began wearing those cameras in July 2018. 

The sheriff's office argues redacting the videos are a time-consuming task for the personnel.

Earlier this year, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department implemented a $280 per hour fee for body worn camera footage, a decision that drew sharp criticism from open government groups in Nevada. 

“Fees as a general rule are a barrier to transparency,” said Nevada Open Government Coalition President Patrick File said in June. “Without directly accusing Metro of trying to prevent people from requesting or receiving records, requesters can be forgiven for thinking that costs this high are intended to prevent them from requesting records.”

More:Las Vegas police plan $280 an hour fee for body cam footage. Critics say that violates law

Washoe's county commission will meet on Dec. 8 to discuss the recommendation.

County Chair Bob Lucey and Vice-Chair Marsha Berkbigler were not immediately available for comment. 

Should the commission agree with this recommendation, the additional charges could go into effect as soon as Jan.1, 2021, according to the staff report.

Members of the public can share their thoughts with the board by emailing Washoe311@washoecounty.us or by leaving a voicemail at 775-954-4664.

The meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube and the public can also attend the meeting through Zoom.

Kristin Oh is a public safety reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal. She can be reached at koh@rgj.com or at 775-420-1285.  Please help support her work by subscribing.