The Sarasota Police Department’s body camera program is indefinitely on hold…..
http://blogaudio.virtualnewscenter.com/WENG-031215-Jennings-Sarasota PD Body Cams VO.mp3
Sarasota City Commissioners voted to halt the program last night due to a lawsuit filed over the cost of fulfilling an open records request for video recorded during a test run of police body cameras last year. The Herald-Tribune reports a member of Florida’s ACLU requested 84 hours of body cam video from that test, and the police department asked for $18,000 to see it. Police told the commission at a special meeting last night, they’re looking for ways to bring down the cost of meeting video requests, including outsourcing video reviews. Police have to review the video before turning it over to deal with privacy issues and exemptions under public records laws.